


Imprinted

by hunter_gatherer



Series: Imprinted [1]
Category: Imprinted - Fandom
Genre: Alpha - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Anger Management, Breed Series - Lora Leigh References, Canada, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Help me come up with tags, I'm new here, Imprinted, Indigenous, Love, M/M, Mates, Multi, Oral Sex, Other, Romance, Slow Burn, Twilight References, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves Turn Into Actual Wolves, Werewolves Unknown, Wolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2018-12-05 01:36:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 46,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11567595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunter_gatherer/pseuds/hunter_gatherer
Summary: "I was two when I was Imprinted upon."The story of a woman growing up after becoming an Imprinted Mate.





	1. Mazinishin - She is Imprinted

I was two when I was Imprinted upon.

All I remember is having someone like a big brother, best friend,  around me every day until I was around seven years old. His name was Conall, I called him Connie when I was young, everyone thought it was an old-ladies name, but I knew he loved it, even as a child I recognized the smile that lit up his eyes when I called him that.

He brought me home from school, like he did every day of the year, even in the middle of the winter, like it was on _that_ day. I can still remember the cold nipping at my cheeks there were tears of ice rolling down them.

"Morrigan, I have to go away for a while. There are some people who need my help down South and I need to see if they can help me too. I'll be back soon okay?"

I understood that even back then he thought my developing brain would not comprehend that I was losing my best friend.

"How ‘down south’?" I asked, my damnable lisp sneaking through... it would be gone when my two front teeth grew in, that's what Conall said... but would he even be here to see me when they were grown back?

He growled and ran a hand through his short black hair. We lived in Canada, just a few hours under the Northwest Territories in a tiny town named High Level, 'south' was Peace River.

"I'm off to the States, I'll be in Washington."

My tiny heart couldn't beat fast enough to keep up with my hyperventilation. Washington? That was on the other side of the world for a seven-year-old.

"No! No no no no no no!" I wrapped my tiny arms around his neck as tight as I could. When I got close enough to him the cold of winter seemed to disappear, I knew I would feel the cold if he left. At night when he wasn't curled around me in my tiny twin bed. The freezing days when he walked me to school and picked me up to take me home.

Conall gasped as these thoughts went through my head, he could always hear my thoughts, and I knew even now he was hearing what I was thinking as plain as if I was speaking it. Maybe if I thought enough things he would have to stay.

What would my parents do? My momma called him our Protector, I knew that meant he kept us safe... would we not be safe if he left? My daddy ran the only restaurants in the town and Conall helped at all of them... what if daddy couldn't lift something heavy and Connie wasn't here???

I could hear Connie crying, his shoulders shook under my arms and head as he lowered himself to his knees in the snow to wrap his arms around me.

His sniffs and loud breaths made me want to cry, but I didn't know how, so I pulled back and shook off my mittens on a string, they hung loose at my sleeves as I used my small hands to wipe away the tears streaming down his face.

He picked me up and started walking again, towards our house where he had lived for the past five years.

We got to the front door and he had stopped crying, even if his breathing wouldn't stop hitching and catching.

My momma was inside and he left me in the foyer to get my boots and jacket off while he went to talk to her.

I heard her start to cry while I was still shaking off one of my boots and ran up the stairs to see her hugging Conall. He whispered something to her and she shook her head while looking at me. Then they both turned to look at me and I shuffled nervously.

"Morrigan, say goodbye to Conall."

Conall came and picked me up, taking me into my room and holding me close. I, being the seven-year-old I was, soon got bored and started to run around my room showing him things he hadn't seen since yesterday.

My room was filled with photographs of everything I loved. I had an obsession with my parent’s cameras and I couldn't stop myself from taking pictures whenever something new happened, I even had a polaroid of yesterdays supper... I had yet to sticky-tack it onto my wall.

"Morrigan I have to go now."

"Wait! Wait! Let me take a picture of you so I can look at you till you come back!"

Conall chuckled and complied, posing with a silly face as I took a snap-shot. The picture printed in a matter of seconds.

"Let me have one of you too Morgi." He took the camera from me and I ran to my dresser to pick up a princess crown I loved to wear in my pictures, I put it on and posed with a huge toothless smile.

"Now together!" I clapped my hands excited.

"Okay," he smiled and pulled me beside him, his long arm stretching out the camera to capture us both. Before the flash I quickly put the princess crown on his head and he laughed squeezing my cheeks so I made a fish face.

He left after that.

And I still have that picture beside my bed... 


	2. Kanza - Upriver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story of a woman growing up after becoming an Imprinted Mate.

"Order up!" Morrigans father yelled from the kitchen throwing a steak plate onto the rack, and hit the bell with the back of a ladle.

Morrigans father; Takoda, owned four restaurants in the town they lived in;

'Morgies', the one they were working at now, of course named after Morrigan,

'Beth's Blues', named after his wife, and Morrigans mother,

'Takoda', it was the one  _his_  father had named after her dad, and passed down to him, and 'Kanza's', which was the family name, passed down in the restraunts of this town for almost as long as it had been in existance. Kanza was the old indigenous Kaw word for ‘upriver’, when the settlers of the plain heard it, they called the town High River, rather than ‘up’. It was not the first bastardizing the indigenous people suffered, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Morrigan tucked a pen behind her ear, came and picked the platter up with a smile over the counter at her dad and grabbed another plate that had been under the heat lamp... she closed her eyes and quickly savoured the warmth on her hand for a fraction of a second before turning with the dishes towards the table that had ordered them;

"Steak for Mr. Stauve, and salad and fries for Mrs. Soon-to-be-Stauve." Morrigan smiled, setting the plates down in front of the newly-engaged couple.

"Thanks Morrigan, will you be coming to the wedding?" the bride-to-be asked sweetly.

"How could you think I wasn't coming? Of course if you do ask my father to cater the wedding then I'll be coming as a  _server_ , but all the same! I'll be there Susanne." Morrigan smiled, and as she heard the little bell over the door ring she turned with a wave from her customers and looked to a new couple that was entering.

She picked up two menus as she walked towards them, looking them up and down to see if she knew them.

The man had to be over six and a half feet tall, towering over Morrigan’s 5’7” frame, with broad shoulders that he was just now brushing the snow off from. The girl beside him was a lot smaller but still sturdy, she had a pixie cut and a large septum ring hanging over her lips, but she didn't seem to notice the cold metal brushing against her face.

Morrigan remembered the first year she had her lip pierced, a tiny stud on the left side of her full lips, it had frozen the first frost and caused her so much pain she had almost taken it out as quickly as she had gotten it. She wondered how this punky woman could handle the chill so well.

"Welcome to Morgies! What can I get you? A table for two? Maybe some hot cocoa to warm you up?" Morrigan asked politely coming to stand in front of the two with a large smile on.

"Um, no." The man said backing up behind the small woman beside him, a nervous look on his dark face, his nose wrinkled like he smelt something horrible.

Morrigan rubbed her face on her shoulder, taking a subtle sniff of herself... she didn't smell  _that_ bad!

"Actually, we were looking for a Morrigan Lupal."

Morrigan stopped breathing. Lupal? How could they know  _that_  last name? Morrigan hadn't heard it for the past thirteen years.

Lupal had been Conalls last name.

"Everything okay daughter?" Beth, Morrigan’s mother, came up beside her putting a hand on her shoulder and looking from her pale face to the strangers. "Can I help you?" she asked them.

"We're looking for Morrigan Lupal. Can you tell us where to find her?" the small woman asked again, but from the way she asked it, she already knew the answer.

"Why do they think I have Conall’s last name?" Morrigan whispered to her mother, her face stricken and her eyes wide with fear. Not in fear of Conall, but fear she would fall back into the depression she had been suffering all her life after he left her... and never came back.

"This is Morrigan. But she is not a Lupal, she's a Kanza. I do not know where you got that name, but it would be in your best interest to not voice it again."

The pair looked at each other then at my mother again, the smallest hint of fear in their eyes.

"Hun, why don't you head on home for the evening, rush is almost over anyways." The glare Morrigan’s mother gave the two standing before her made Morrigan happy she had grown up enough not to get that look any more. Not saying anything Morrigan shied away, untying her apron from around her waist. She went to hang the stained cloth up and saw her hands shaking…

 

* * *

 

Beth had taken the pair aside as Morrigan walked out of the restaurant, the last she saw of them the female and her mother were talking in a booth beside a window, and the male was watching Morrigan through the sweating window as she walked home.

If Morrigan was being truthful, she had to admit she was a little scared. She had finally gotten over that childhood friend and stand-in brother a few years ago. But it was amazing how her seven-year-old self could so quickly enter in her mind;

_"Conall said he'd be back, he promised"_

She swallowed, telling that small voice inside her that she knew he wouldn't be back now. Those were probably two officers who had found his body, along with the wallet with Morrigan’s picture in it… They had just come to tell them the bad news thinking she was his daughter or little sister or - or something...

_"He can't be dead! He promised!"_

Morrigan ignored the terror bubbling inside of her and focused on the mundane… What had she just implied? That he had kept that picture with him at all times? That was how they must have found her... but that meant Morrigan might have to admit to herself that implied he still cared about her if they found it...

Either that or they had searched his home and found the picture at the bottom of a box or drawer....

The snow crunched under her shoes as she continued on her way home. The town she lived in was small enough that everyone knew everyone, there were less than 1,000 inhabitants and there were only eight streets by seven streets with a highway passing through from the south going straight up to the North-West Territories.

Morgies was located on the south end of town, on the highway, so people entering the town could stop for a bite to eat there and check in at the motel right beside it.

Morrigan walked along the highway for about five minutes before coming to the perpendicular Main Street where she turned up, but only for one block before continuing her walk north.

The Kanza house was located on the northern tip of town, so Morrigan cut through alleys and backstreets until she ended up in front of her house. Without taking the shoveled-clear, winding pathway she made her own path as she trudged through the snow of their front yard towards the door.

Once she was inside she threw off her winter-wear and shuffled to her room, trying to warm her feet into the carpet and taking off her waitress uniform as she went.

_Conall_

By the time she entered her room she was only in her under-things and thigh-high socks, hanging a little off her feet from dragging them, but they were warm at least. She threw the dirty clothes into a basket in her closet and flopped onto her bed, pulling out her pajamas from under her pillow and shuffling them on still lying down.

Once completed she sighed, relaxing, and looked at her ceiling. Photos of every  _thing_ you can possibly imagine stared back at her, but Morrigan only had eyes for a few of them.

_Conall_

The pictures of him seemed to jump down at her.

One was when she had woken up early and crawled out of bed quietly enough not to wake him, grabbing her camera she had tried to stand on the bed and take a downward shot, but she had only caught his arms and a bit of shoulder, and a lot of her floral bedspread.

Another was taken when he had given her a new camera with a neck strap and after placing it around her neck Morrigan had gone to hug him, it had taken a snapshot of their feet.

Morrigan closed her eyes and imagined she could feel his warmth again, have him to chase away the cold, and all to herself.

She sat up and scooted towards her nightstand flicking on the light atop it. Opening the drawer she pulled out the picture of the two of them on their last day together, then just the one of him, and just ... stared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I read "Feedback is Fuel" on another work, and it's totally true, I would love any feedback on this story. Too Short? Tag Ideas? Grammar? Anything!
> 
> Again, thanks for reading, expect Chapter 3 in the next few days! <3


	3. Takoda - Friend to All

"Why are you asking about my daughter please?" Takoda had come to sit by Beth, his arm slung behind her in a protective gesture, "And _who_ are you?"

"We're sorry to have traumatized your daughter so early," the woman said; "My name is Zeta, and this is Phi." The man nodded towards them when his name was said, but his dark eyes never stopped flitting around the quiet restaurant and out the window.

Zeta had a commanding air about her, Beth could feel the air vibrate when she spoke, and she knew Phi could feel it too from the way he reacted when his cohort opened her mouth. The large, dark-skinned man responded to Zeta as if she were his sergeant.

"What 'traumatized' her in the first place?!" Takoda asked looking between his wife and the pair across from him.

"They mentioned ... Lupal." Beth hesitated before speaking the name, but Takoda broke into a large smile.

"Lupal ya say?! Haha! Great! So when's the boy comin' home?" Takoda loved Conall like a son, but when he saw none of the others were as excited as he was, his smile faded. "He _is_ comin' for Morrigan, right?"

"Well sir, we have actually come to bring Morrigan to him." Zeta said without expression while Phi's eyes flicked back and forth from mother to father nervously.

"Why can't Conall come here?" Takoda said, without anger, his voice was filled with worry and almost a child-like hurt of rejection tinged the question.

Conall had lived with the Kanza’s for only five years, but in that time he had carved out a home for himself in their family; hunting with Takoda, cooking with Beth, engaging in the small community and providing for the little girl that was the center of all their worlds. When he left it had been like a member of their small family had died, it took Morrigan years of mourning, questioning, anger, denial and pain to get to the where she was at today. A strong, independent young woman with a large heart and a big smile to cover up the well of hurt deep inside herself.

"Sir, did C-C-Con..." she cleared her throat, "Lupal, Did he tell you anything about himself while he lived with you?" Zeta asked cautiously, her hands resting on her lap calmly as Phi began to shift in his seat.

"Well yes," Beth whispered, even though the restaurant was now empty except for the few staff cleaning the kitchen. "We knew he had a _condition_ where he became... different … but he never showed us or let it change him..."

"Did --”

"And we also knew about the 'Imprinting'," Takoda added quickly, as if he had to get it off his chest.

Zeta did not seem to mind the interruption, and sat back to look at Phi who had relaxed considerably, they exchanged a satisfied look before turning back to the Kanza's.

"Thank you." They said sincerely, in unison.

"It's so hard to find a family, of humans, who accept our type for who we are. You are rare and greatly regarded, no wonder he speaks so highly of you."

There was silence as Beth and Takoda looked at each other with small, sad smiles. It was obvious Morrigan hadn’t been the only one suffering all those years. Beth took in a shuddering breath and stood up.

"Well now that we have all loosened up would anyone care for some hot cocoa?"

All but Zeta raised their hand, and silence fell over the table until;

"Well you sure loosened up boy!" Takoda said to Phi, "What had _you_ on pins and needles?"

"I apologize for my earlier behaviour." Phi had a deep voice, almost a baritone. "It is difficult for me to be around mated females, especially if the couple is separated from one another."

"You don't find it difficult to be around me when Del is away." Zeta mumbled,

"You're my cousin, and difficult _all_ the time." Phi muttered back so Takoda wouldn't catch it.

Beth returned to the table with four cups of cocoa, putting one in front of Zeta, even though she had not asked for one. Beth was one of “those” mother’s; _eat more or else_.

"Oh," Beth said when Takoda filled her in; "Morrigan doesn't know."

"Doesn't know about us?" Zeta asked suspiciously.

"No," Beth replied almost sheepishly. "Doesn't know _anything_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I read "Feedback is Fuel" on another work, and it's totally true, I would love any feedback on this story. Too Short? Tag Ideas? Grammar? Anything!
> 
> I'm planning on releasing short and long chapters alternatively to keep my posting steady as well as help my creativity and the story along as I go. 
> 
> Again, thanks for reading, expect Chapter 4 next week! <3


	4. Aakozi - Sick

"That changes things..." Zeta remarked, slumping back in her chair and thinking. Phi looked like he might howl if he could, agitation was crawling all over him and his hands shook so badly he had to put his cocoa down for fear of spilling it.

"What?" Takoda asked immediately as Beth grabbed his hand nervously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Zeta said nonchalantly, it looked as if she were in complete serenity compared to her cousin who turned to her with bulging eyes.

"Nothing at all," She directed this sharply to Phi, "It just sets us back a few steps… Well – not us. Conall to be exact." Zeta said cryptically, by way of filling them in.

"Nothing?!" Phi spat, turning full on to Zeta.

"Yes, nothing!" She countered looking him in the eye. "This will _not_ be the end of the world Phillip! If he has to start from scratch, So. Be. It!"

"You know it will set him back in more ways than just his 'plans' Zetaphrine!" Phi had backed down substantially from his outburst, Zeta's eyes seeming to bore into him and make him smaller.

"His mind is strong enough not to collapse on itself because of _this_. Could you imagine if she had forgotten him altogether?" Phi turned away with a shudder, his whole body seeming to shake.

The Kanza’s sat watching their exchange with open concern, what the hell were they talking about and what did it have to do with their daughter?

"Care to enlighten us, please?!" Takoda asked sharply.

Zeta turned to them both after putting a calming hand on the back of Phi's neck.

"C-Conall," Phi scoffed at her use of the name, and she corrected herself, "Alpha _Lupal_ , has been suffering for the past thirteen years from withdrawal, one that can't be conquered like a normal addiction. None of us can go from our Mates for more than a few months. None of us can go from our _Imprints_ for more than a few hours."

The Kanza's gasped at this and tears sprang to Beth’s eyes.

"Conall was asked thirteen years ago to come down to Washington to do some tests as to why he is what he is, and while he was down there he became Alpha of our pack. You see many of us do not even learn we are beasts, and can go our entire lives without knowing unless there is something that triggers it. Nothing triggered Conalls beast whatsoever, and the scientists studying our race needed to know why."

Zeta took a breath before continuing;

"Conall, like the others, began aging when he found Morrigan, and knew, like many others of our race, that if he didn't leave, the age gap would stay the same forever."

Beth cut in here; "He mentioned that to me the day he left! He said 'You know I need to do this!'"

Zeta nodded, "Most imprinted try to cut the age gap by staying in their other form, but still close enough to classify as 'together'."

"But he was nineteen when he found Morrigan, who was two. And he was twenty-four when he left. He's still four years older than her!" Takoda knew.

"Believe me," Phi cut in, "He'll die if he has to go another week without her."

 

* * *

 

 

In the morning Morrigan lay awake looking at her photos. For some reason last night she had begun taking down the ones that were special to her; the ones of her parents, her home, the town, her old teddy bears; long since thrown away, and ... the ones of Conall.

She had placed them all in a shoe box that was resting on her night stand. Why? She didn't know.

She got out of bed and stretched before pulling a baggy sweater from her doorknob over her shoulders and stumbling downstairs.

Turning towards the kitchen she passed the living room, which looked odd for some reason...

Morrigan stopped in her tracks and backed up a few steps to peer back into the living room. The hide-a-bed had been pulled out and sitting on top of it was the woman with the nose piercing looking straight at her!

Morrigan screamed and ran into the kitchen where she bumped into the opened fridge door.

The force of her smacking into it closed the door shut with a loud bang and clattering of the contents inside. Landing on her ass with a grunt, Morrigan looked up, and then up some more, into the face of the man from last night.

Another scream bubbled into her throat, just as he did the same. He backed up into the farthest corner from Morrigan with a yelp that sounded like a kicked dog.

The woman entered from the hallway behind Morrigan and she screamed again, scrambling to get to her feet, knowing they were cornering her.

Her mother and father rushed in, already dressed with pained looks on their faces.

"Morrigan!" her father yelled and Morrigan locked eyes with him. Ever since she was little whenever Morrigan became afraid she froze up and needed to be coaxed out of wherever she was hidden or whatever position she had been frozen in. Once she had seen a spider and covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Two hours later her parents had finally gotten her hands pried away from her face.

"Morrigan, stay looking at me, okay honey?" Takoda spoke softly as Beth came over and started to loosen Morrigans hands from the counter top.

"Sweetheart, these people are not here to hurt you. They want to help you and take you to see Conall." Morrigans eyes flicked between her father and the strangers in the corner. Conall?

"Baby," Beth cut in, "They're just like him, it’s okay, he trusted them to come up and get you, and if he trusted them you should too."

"H-he's still alive?" Morrigan whispered, her white lips hardly moving. It didn't occur to her to ask what 'just like him' meant.

The strangers still heard her;

"Very much so Morrigan," Zeta said calmly, "He's been suffering without you these past years, and now that he's done helping down south he needs to see you."

"Why hasn't he come to see me?" Morrigan asked breathlessly, her body slumping against the counter and her mother, her eyes taking in the strangers across the room from her.

"He's sick Morgi," her father whispered.

Morrigan's vision faltered, everything went darker and a little lopsided as she processed this. A cold fist entered her gut and the icy fingers began to spread throughout her abdomen and down her limbs.

_take you to him_

_sick_

_come and get you_

_suffering without you_

Suddenly everything snapped back to Morrigan, her vision was clear, the ice stayed in her blood, but a new sense of fear swept through her, the fight and flight had combined into one consuming drive; to see Conall again.

"What are we waiting for?! I'll be packed in ten minutes." Morrigan swept from the room, her dark brown hair flying out behind her.

The remaining four in the kitchen looked at each other before the two travelers began conferring as to which route would be fastest down to the states, and the parents joined their child to help her pack.


	5. Giwebatoo - Run Back Home

Morrigan tried envisioning what it would be like to see Conall again. After trying to convince herself he was gone, never coming back, possibly dead, etc. it was like there was an empty hole in her vision, she could see herself, walking towards a chasm, threatening to be engulfed by it.

She shook her head and pulled out another duffel bag. That made three bags of things, would it be enough? Were fourteen pairs of underwear and socks going to cover it? She would not be gone that long... and even if she was, she could always come back for more... coudn't she? Gently tucking her camera bag under her arm she picked up one of the duffels and nodded to her mother and father to take the other bags down to the car.

Morrigan turned to leave the room, stopping momentarily at the door frame. She breathed in, deeply, trying to commit to memory each smell of her house. She had never traveled this far from her community, and if she had it was always accompanied by her parents. She was leaving her entire world behind on the whim of some person she had not seen for thirteen years. What was wrong with her??

Morrigan stomped out of her room and stopped her parents as they were putting on their shoes - "Mom, Da, I can't do this."

Takoda looked surprised and turned to Beth who was looking up the stairs at their daughter. She could see pain, the ripping of her little girl's heart and mind, between staying and going, between family and evolution. Beth ushered Morrigan to come down the stairs and stand with them; seeing that Morrigan still hadn't let go of the bags she was carrying, her silent desire to go with these strangers.

"Morrigan," Beth started as Takoda wrapped his arms around the both of them and brought them tighter in to the safe circle of their little family, "There is nothing stopping you from staying here with us, and we know that you think that is what a good daughter would do -" She held up a hand as Morrigan began to protest, "But you have to understand, there is more out there in the world than what your Father and I can show you, and you have always been desperate to see it. Conall will give you that, and we have always wanted him to be what we could not for you." Beth stopped before her throat became to constricted with emotion, she looked up at Takoda with imploring eyes and he picked up where she left off;

"This is no time to try and be strong for us Morgi, this is the time that my _oshkagoojin_ needs to be strong for Conall." Morrigan looked up when her father called her his "new- or little-moon", it had been her nickname since she was a babe. "You will return to us, and bring him with you when you do."

Morrigan buried her face in her father's chest again, taking a shuddering breath as she felt her mother's hand brush her hair and her father's lips kiss the top of her head. This is a smell she wanted to remember, all three of them, close, together, her father's spices, her mother's leather, her home.

 " _Giwebatoo._ " her parents whispered together and squeezed her hard before letting Morrigan go. Morrigan straightened and lifted her chin. Takoda hesitantly opened the door and Morrigan walked out of it, straight to the black SUV, handing her bags to Phi, and helping load the ones her parents brought out. 

Zeta whistled and Phi, who had been arranging the bags into the trunk, slammed it closed and hopped into the driver seat, revving the engine.

 

Morrigan, turned to her parents, she was excited, but scared, her face showed no emotion, but she knew her parents understood what she was feeling. They said nothing, she said nothing. The last words her parent's said to her rang in her ears as she climbed into the back seat and the SUV pulled away

_Run back home._

 

 

* * *

 

The unfamiliarity of waking up warm startled Morrigan into sitting up with a jerk. She backed up quickly from the unfamiliar surroundings and smacked her head on the window beside her.

"Owwww..." She muttered, touching the forming bump, before looking around. That's right, it was all coming back now.

Zeta was looking at her with a slight smirk, and Phi was glancing nervously back at her in the rear-view mirror.

She cleared her throat, "Where are we?" It was dark all around them.

"We just entered Wenatchee National Forest. We're about two minutes from Bedal. Then just another twenty minutes and we'll be at Base."

"We already passed the Boarder?! And you didn't wake me up? How did we get past?"

Zeta and Phi just smiled. Obviously they had their ways and Morrigan was unsure if she wanted to know them or not.

Morrigan sighed and tried to identify passing objects, trying her damnest not to count down the twenty-two minutes before she saw Conall.

Luckily they passed quicker than she thought.

The SUV pulled to a stop on a round gravel driveway leading to a large house, very well hidden from the town of Bedal. Only off-road vehicles could have made it past the things Phi seemed to drive through like a dream.

Morrigan stretched and went to grab the door handle. "Wait!" Zeta whispered sharply, her eyes wide as she tried to wordlessly convey something to Morrigan. Morrigan held her hands up like a thief caught red-handed and watched as Zeta and Phi got out first, circling the SUV two separate ways and looking around cautiously. Phi got the bags out of the trunk, slinging them on his back with obvious ease.

Morrigan was beginning to feel slightly suspicious of the situation when Zeta opened the car door and gave Morrigan her hand to step out, her eyes still on the surrounding trees. The woman whistled once, loudly and long. Lights went on in the house a fraction of a second before floodlights filled the gravel courtyard. Morrigan held her hand up over her eyes and looked at the building, what kind of house was this?! Or mansion by the look of it! 

Howls from nearby wolves echoed throughout the valley. Low and mournful...

"There are wolves nearby?!" Morrigan asked, trying not to sound too interested. Wolves in High Level were few and far between, but she had always had a love for the regal animals.

Phi was facing the car with his back to the two women, as he muttered over his shoulder; "More than you know, Kanza." 

"SHHH! - Let’s go." Zeta tugged Morrigans hand, taking her towards the front door at a close sprint.

A sound, like two boulders grating together came from behind them. Phi swore loudly.

Zeta and Morrigan both turned around to see what was happening. Phi shook off the bags and dropped into a crouch, snarling at the SUV. Morrigan almost laughed until she looked towards the SUV and saw the biggest wolf she had seen in her life standing on the hood, ready to pounce at them with lips pulled back into a snarl. Its paws looked the same size as the tires, (that were straining not to burst under the sudden extra weight), and its fur was reflecting the light from the house, giving it a shadowy appearance, one Morrigan was having trouble focusing on. Suddenly the beast snapped its jaws and as its paws flexed, nails screeched against metal. Morrigan screamed. Zeta tried to tug her away, but Morrigan had frozen.

Out of seemingly nowhere there were two more wolves, each standing on either side of Phi, growling at the wolf on the SUV. Each was smaller than the large black wolf, but they weren't menacing at all, Morrigan got the inexplicable feeling of protection from them, and before she could understand it, she was thawed in time for Zeta to pull her closer to the house. But the black wolf leapt from the SUV and in that one bound was over top of Phi and the other wolves, coming towards Morrigan and Zeta.

Zeta opened the door, yanking Morrigan through it, and slammed it in the wolf’s face as she pushed Morrigan towards a pair of split stairs.

"DEL!" Zeta yelled, her shoulder against the quaking door. "Morrigan! Up the stairs! Now!"

Morrigan swung her head around and saw twin staircases leading up to a landing. Rushing towards and up them she climbed faster than she ever had before, hands slapping against the marble steps ahead of her, thighs burning as she tried to take three at a time. When she was at the center of the pair of stairs she looked back to see another large man holding the door with Zeta.

"Morrigan, go-" Zeta was about to say but the door burst open and she fell to the side, the larger man protecting her body with his as the door flew off its hinges and into the hallway under where Morrigan was standing.

Her mouth fell open as she looked back at the doorway and froze. The wolf bounded in and swung its massive head around, looking for something with crazed eyes. It spied her above him and in one great leap and bark that hurt Morrigan’s eardrums, its dagger-like claws were digging into the marble banister directly in front of her. The snarling visage never wavered from her face. 

Hands over her ears, chest heaving, she couldn't take her eyes off the animal she knew would end her life. She backed up a few steps only to come in contact with a wall as the mammoth wolf hoisted itself over the banister. It stared at her with cold, electric-blue eyes, for what felt like an eternity, but must have been only a fraction of a second before dropping it's snarl, slowly crawling, almost stalking, to where she stood and standing extremely still. Morrigan, allowing the calm understanding that there was nothing she could do to save herself, looked into its eyes, still frozen. But then...her heart began to race.

"Conall!" she gasped.

Suddenly Conall was there; his naked body pressed against hers, and his lips devouring hers in a way she did not consider “wolf-like” at all. She went limp in his arms and when the man pulled back to look at her, Morrigan had fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient. Had a very busy week, but will get back on with updating more regularly!
> 
> Any feedback so far? I'd love to know what direction you guys think this could go towards... 
> 
> <3


	6. Wiisagendam - Suffering Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I would just like to say that I think it's rude and uncomplimentary to tell someone to post faster. You can say you like my work and want to see it continued, that's fine, I like that, actually I love that.
> 
> Constructive Feedback and Positive Vibes only please. Thank you!

Zeta looked up from underneath her mate, Delta, only to see Morrigans body fall limp.

"No!" she whispered, horrified, as she pushed her mate off her and let her wolf break through the thin barrier of her skin. There was no time for the usual shake and stretch that came with shifting before Zeta's beast bounded up the stairs snarling at Conall, who was just lowering the body to the floor.

Conall didn't register that the silver wolf had come up beside him, his eyes were wide and he began to shake. 

Zeta saw the tell-tale signs of her Alpha's panic. It had begun in slow waves almost half a year ago, Zeta put it up to a gut feeling one day that she noticed it happening even before her own mate, Conall's beta and closest friend. 

_They had just returned from a meeting with the "scientists", (the pack called the government research team scientists because it sounded better than "paranormal cryptozoologist intermediary experts"). The researchers were provided by the US Government in exchange for unique services that the pack could provide._

_Alpha Lupal had stayed behind to speak with their head scientist, but something in Zeta's subconscious bade her to hang back too. She leaned back against the building and propped up a booted foot behind her as she waited for him to exit the compound, similarly hidden in the woods like their home. A worker came out the entrance and obviously wasn't expecting to see her as he peeked up from his tablet and jumped back when he almost bumped into her. Zeta was used to these reactions to her; it wasn't just her facial piercings, tattoos, and penchant for black clothes that scared people off, humans had a surprising ability to notice when was something wasn't quite right, but an equally surprising amount of stupidity and denial that left them in the no-man's land of "frightened but has no goddamn idea why". She sneered at him and he scuttled past her to the parking lot._

_When Conall walked out Zeta instantly knew something was wrong. He walked the same, but something flickering behind his ice-blue eyes had begun to burn in a way she couldn't ignore._

_"Alpha? What's going on?" -- it was if he hadn't heard her as he began walking North into the woods rather than around the building where their vehicles were waiting for them._

_"Alpha!" She tried saying it sharply, but her ingrained obedience to her superior was holding her back from doing anything but trailing dumbly behind him. T_ _he sun had started to set, the shadows created by the trees already a dark canopy. Conall had started to pick up his pace, which was easy for Zeta to follow, but worry began to eat at her when his breathing began to catch and flow as if he was struggling with the easy lope they had adopted._

_Finally they came upon an opening and Zeta was able to easily dart in front of him and put her hands up to his chest; as he stopped pushing against her and finally stood still Zeta could feel his heart beating erratically and his chest heaving under her hands as he gasped for air._

_"Lupal, what is going on?!" Zeta tried to ask as calmly as she could from between her teeth. Conall finally looked down at her and no spark of recognition or understanding registered in his eyes._

_"I - I have to..." he grabbed his head and closed his eyes in pain, still panting. "I have to get her - get to her."_

_"Who, sir?" Zeta sniffed the air, she didn't smell any trace of a human nearby, the wind carried no traces of anything unusual._

_"My - Morrigan." Zeta had never heard that name come out of Conall's mouth, but the way he said it held so much meaning and hurt behind it, why had he never mentioned it before?_

_"Morrigan? Where is she?_ Who _is she?" Conall took a few more unstable steps forward before Zeta put her hand up again - for a moment she thought she had hit him as he clutched his chest and fell to his knees. "Alpha!"_

_"My I - mate, my imprinted mate..." he struggled with the words as his spine snapped and bones began to shift, Zeta jumped back as the huge black wolf phased in front of her, quickly shaking off it's old skin and growling savagely._

_Before Zeta could do anything her Alpha was gone. She stood for a moment, shocked to her core. Had he continued to go North? Was he going to this person? There were too many questions. She picked up the dropped tactical belt left behind in the change and made her way back to the facility to retrieved her vehicle; sitting in it silently, staring at her hands on the steering wheel. How had it happened so suddenly? There was no one around, there has to be eye-contact for an Imprint to occur, who could he have seen in the middle of the damn woods?_

_"Unless... No."  She whispered to herself in the empty space of the car, shaking her head. Unless he had been Imprinted when he came to them over a decade ago. The thought physically sickened her. She could hardly spend time away from her mate, and that's not 1/100th of the connection Imprints claim to have..._

_She lifted her hands up and opened her palms - Imprint's were too sensitive to anyone's touch but their mates when they were in human form; sometimes even the faintest of contact put them in terrible discomfort. How had she been able to touch Conall if he was Imprinted? Had he been suffering through the scientists' tests, through the physical familiarity of the pack, through the agony of a simple handshake?  
_

_Zeta felt bile rising in her throat as she started her car and laid a heavy foot on the gas - she had no idea what to do about any of this. She suddenly needed her mate, and after he had_ _sufficiently_ _cleared her mind she would try to revisit this whole thing._

 

_Conall had returned the next day, it went unnoticed as it wasn't unusual for the Alpha to spend days away. Zeta had tried intercepting him before dinner that night, careful not to touch him, yet he acted like nothing had happened._

_When the disappearances began to get more frequent, and for longer duration's, Zeta broke down and told Delta everything. At first he didn't believe her, until he came home one day and told her that the Alpha had abandoned a hunt, mid-chase, to begin walking North. Delta had followed for a time, but when he realized they were going to reach the Canadian border soon, he turned back in order to make it home on time to alert the pack-members patrolling the border to "not let him pass, under any circumstances"._

_Eventually they worked out a plan, for when they saw the panic, the shakes, the "crazy-eyes". The pack knew what to do, and as the rumour he was an Imprint spread around, the tribe became more and more understanding - there were no challenges for his position, leadership and responsibility was distributed and delegated - it was a promising show of humanity, they were not just wolves who would jump at any chance of moving up the hierarchy.  
_

_Finally it had been decided. They needed to find Conall's mate, and fast. Because the more he was walking around on four feet instead of two, was becoming dangerous for the whole pack._

* * *

 

Zeta stepped forward, butting the man out of the way with her shoulder and pulling Morrigan's seemingly lifeless body towards her with a paw like a mother bear rolling it’s cub towards her.

"I-I didn't hurt her, did I?" Conall fell backwards, gripping his hair in desperation, his voice a deep bass, but ragged with worry.

Zeta looked at her Alpha, seeing him in his human form for the first time in what seemed like months - his muscles were taught, his body looked too lean for a human man, but she knew it was because he had been living off a sparse diet of wild prey. When he met her eyes for a split second before looking back at Morrigan, Zeta was able to see that the crazed burning that shone out of them still had not dimmed. That was worrisome...

Zeta's beast sniffed Morrigan and discerned she had merely fainted, so shook her head 'no' to Conall, before nuzzling her snout under the unconscious girl and lifting, so Morrigan's limp body draped her over her neck, before walking towards the west wing. Conall followed, stumbling and holding the wall, his face strained as he tried to keep himself in check.

Zeta's grey wolf waited in front of a closed door, looking at Conall with an exasperated look. He clumsily opened the door, his eyes never leaving Morrigan.

The she-wolf entered and gently shook Morrigan off her and onto a couch in the Alpha's suite, before giving Conall a stern look and exiting into the hallway. A naked arm reached back and closed the door.

Conall paced back and forth in front of the couch. He knew his entire pack was watching his every move. If he hurt his mate, his _Imprinted_ , he would be suicidal. Well more so than he already had been these last thirteen years.

Conall wanted to slap himself. How stupid could he be? She couldn't be comfortable on the couch, he took her in his arms, sighing at the absolute completion he felt when he did. The weight of her was nothing to him and he hesitated before walking into the bedroom. The soft pressure of her against him made his chest constrict until he felt like his heart had been squeezed into his throat, he could feel it beating there now and could hardly swallow from the weight of it.

He walked slowly, taking the time to enjoy her in his arms. When Conall finally placed Morrigan in the middle of his bed he knelt beside her head, brushing hair back from her face, looking her over, making sure no injury had come to her because of him.

Her face was beautiful. Her indigenous heritage gave her strong angular features, high cheekbones, defined jawline, the bridge of her nose crooked ever so slightly to the left, suggesting it had been broken in the years past, Conall knew it had probably been from Morrigan tripping or running into something. As graceful as she looked, his Morgi could be ~~a bit~~ , no scratch that, a _lot_ of a klutz sometimes. 

Following the column of her throat Conall couldn't help but look over the rest of his Imprinted. He wanted to drink in every inch of her, memorize everything he had only been imagining these past thirteen years. Her sweater was loose, revealing her collarbone on one side, Conall's fingers ghosted over it, wanting so badly to touch her, but would wait until she was awake; there was no assuming consent from a woman who had fainted in your arms...

His gaze flowed down, to one of her hands resting on her stomach. Her fingers were slender and long, nails neatly trimmed with some chipped purple polish on her pinky finger. She took a deep breath then, hand rising with her stomach as it clenched at the fabric of her sweater, to Conall it looked as if she was trying to pull something around her, a blanket maybe? He stood up from the bed, going to the trunk at the bottom of it and pulling out a wool blanket. He placed it on the bed before reaching down and removing Morrigan's shoes, careful not to touch her skin. The sight of her bare ankles should not have done anything to Conall, but he paused before covering them with the blanket, biting his lip and closing his eyes. He shook his head and resumed his upward journey with the wool, stretching it over her impossibly long legs, her hand and stomach, coming up to just under her shoulders.

Conall sat beside her again, this time leaning against the headboard as he ran his fingers along her scalp and through her thick hair. When he lifted up a strand it looked as if molten dark-chocolate was pouring from his fingers into the pool surrounding her face. Conall pushed his fingers through her hair again, his hand running over the bump on her head... his breath sucked in.

His hands began to shake and his vision blurred, _had he done that to her_?! Conall clenched his fists and stood up and away from the bed before he took in another breath. He resumed his pacing and started to mutter to himself.

A knock came on the door and surprised Conall into phasing to his wolf on the spot, growling menacingly. Phi's voice was low as he warned his Alpha he was opening the door, Conall could smell his pack-mate now, but was in no mental state to phase back so soon. Phi reached in and placed Morrigans three bags on the floor before retreating quickly, making sure not to engage in any eye contact with his Alpha.

After he was sure Phi was far enough away from the door, Conalls wolf went over and began sniffing through the luggage. He found the ones containing her clothes right away and taking the handles up gently in his jaws his beast carried them through the suite, into the bedroom and further into the attached walk-in closet. Conall was thankful he had asked for preparations to be made for Morrigan's arrival; there were clothes ranging from luxury to casual all in Morrigan's size - either new or donated from other female wolves who had no use for these items anymore. The communal aspect of the Pack was one humans had a hard time adjusting to, but when you live with a sharing family, because indeed the pack was a large,  _large_ , family; you had to get used to all sorts of sharing, swapping, borrowing and lending that made up many of their interactions. Luckily Morrigan wouldn't have to worry about other wolves coming into her suite and looking through her clothes; Alpha's territory was strictly off limits.

Returning for the third bag Conall tried to identify the contents inside. No clothes, but something else interesting... He pawed open the bag and began nudging things out with his snout.

Cameras... of course. Books, toiletries, Takoda's hunting knife, and a shoe box? Conall was urging his beast to open it when a moan came from the bedroom, the wolf's ears perked up and he trotted into the next room, his head peeking over the mattress with a whine. Of course he was much taller than the bed, but with his head hung low enough he could call it peeking.

"Conall..." she whispered, and like a trigger he was back in his human form. Something about her called to his human side and before he knew it he had wrapped his body around hers, cradling her in his arms, whispering promises he would never leave her again.

Morrigan slept warm for the first time in thirteen years.


	7. Zaagi' - Love / My Treasure

Something was running towards her, it was small in the distance, but over the snow, something hazy was coming her way. 

Morrigan stopped, she was standing in snow, her feet were bare and she felt like she had been walking for hours. She raised her hand up to her eyes to see the shadowy figure loping on the horizon, then turned around to see which way she had come from. Startled, she didn't see one set of footprints behind her. There were hundreds, coming from all different angles and directions, all culminating on the spot she was standing on. Had she gone snow-mad? Walked back and forth in every direction but the one in front of her? All the footprints were facing her and when she turned back around she only saw pristine, untouched landscape before her - waiting for her to take a first step - stretching all the way to something that began to take form...

 

* * *

 

 

Morrigan woke up with a start, she felt hot- too hot. She had never woken up with sweat on her brow and coating her chest. She breathed hard and put her head in her hands, trying to slow down her heart-rate. Peeking through her fingers she realized she was in the biggest bed she had ever seen in her life. Her eyes stung as bright morning light poured over her from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The trees outside ranged from cedar and fir's to redwood and maples.

 _There are no trees in High Level._   Morrigan thought to herself. She couldn't remember how she had gotten here, the last thing that her brain remembers processing was taking down the wall of fear, brick by brick, when she realized the wolf was Conall. No, not when he had turned into a human, when she had looked into the beasts eyes and seen something held for her there that she could not give a name to.

 _Then_ she remembered when he had shown up naked.

_Oh. My. God._

There was no shock of him being able to shape-shift, it was his magnificent body pressed against hers that had ultimately made her swoon like a school-girl. The way he had seemed to come alive around her, arms pulling her to him, one wide hand fit along the small of her back and the other cradling her neck. One of his legs had appeared between hers and she remembers the raw heat of it when her legs had given out and he held her up with it. Morrigan's hand slid down her face and touched her lips as she brought her knees to her chest and remembered the slant of his mouth across hers, his stubble lightly scratching against her skin, how his tongue had run across the seam of her lips, and when she had just opened her mouth up to his, breathing in his scent, was about to taste him as he was tasting her - she had fainted! 

Morrigan slapped a hand across her eyes, embarrassed and frustrated all at once, and went to slump back onto the bed when her arm made contact with something beside her. The rush of air out of whatever she had elbowed made Morrigan jump back into sitting position and look down behind her. 

Conall was looking up at her with one eye, the other one scrunched closed in pain as his hand rubbed his chest where she had impacted him. "I guess I deserved that..." he muttered.

" _Oo ni gichi-_!" she started to swear and jumped out of the bed taking the wool blanket with her like some sort of shield. Her brain was not catching up to what she was seeing; he was propped up on an elbow, not even attempting to hide his unclothed body, half cocked smile playing over his face as he looked her up and down. Morrigan was stunned, she was fully-clothed  _and_ hiding behind a blanket and he was making  _her_ feel stripped down?! 

"Morrigan -" he started, and like a switch, Morrigan's mind ground to a full stop. It didn't matter that he was naked, she only had eyes for his face, and the way he was looking at her made her think he had the same.

"Conall..." she gasped, dropping the blanket and crawling across the bed towards him as he opened his arms. She gladly fell into them and buried her face in his shoulder as he did the same in her hair. He smelled like the earth, all woods and dirt and sweat, it was not unpleasant, in fact Morrigan thought it suited him, much better than cologne or perfumes would, he was not that type of man. She wound her arms around his shoulders as he sat up, his abdominal muscles flexing underneath her. 

"Morrigan, oh Morrigan." he sighed her name into her shoulder, stroking her back, "You've grown up so much." Conall couldn't help but inhale the scent of her - all spice and winter.

"You haven't aged a day!" she smiled, holding him silently for what felt like minutes, hours ticking by. Her elation faded as she pulled away seconds later, holding him at arms length, her dark eyes clouded when she looked at him and asked "Why did you not come back for me Connie?"

She felt his hands fist in her sweater and hair - he wasn't pulling it, but she could feel them begin to tremble. The shame that crossed his features made him look away from her, his breathing stuttered and he tried to swallow with a suddenly desert-dry mouth. 

His beast growled low in his chest, just deep enough he didn't think Morrigan would have heard it. He sighed and just lamely said "I-I couldn't Morgie."

"Where have you been all these years?! What have you been doing that was so important that you abandoned us?!" Angry with his response, Morrigan sensed she was close to letting her tears overflow. There were so many questions, and if Conall was going to answer all of them as sparse as he just had, she knew deep in her gut she would never discover the truth from him.

She tried standing to get some space between them. Morrigan hadn't sat on his lap since she was seven, and she had definitely never sat on his naked lap before. Their whole relationship was shifting under her feet - he wasn't her big brother anymore, she didn't know if he was her Protector anymore either. She could feel heat pooling low in her stomach, this wasn't what she was supposed to feel for him, and the more Morrigan thought about it, the more everything felt sideways.

Conall felt her trying to recoil but he was not about to let her go. He knew she was frustrated with his silence and sighed. There was no one answer to the questions she was asking. How could he tell her the entire history of his race in a matter of minutes?

A knock came at the door and Morrigan took the distraction to jump away from Conall. His growl was more audible this time as he ran his hands through his hair and stood, striding out of the room towards the door. Morrigan could make out multiple voices and strained to hear what was being said in the other room, but could not over the pounding of her blood in her ears. She tried to slow her breathing, calm herself down and cool the fire burning in the pit of her belly.

Before she could put the pieces of the conversation together Conall came back in and stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and head cocked to the side. He wasn't going to tell her anything else and Morrigan could see that. She clenched her fists and tried not to let her fury show on her face. Her heart felt like it was breaking - on the one hand, here he was,  _him_ , her everything since before she could remember. On the other he was holding everything back from her, the essential information she needed after thirteen years of questions and emptiness and cold.

Taking one last deep breath she pushed her resentment down. If her mother were here she would tell Morrigan to "catch more flies with honey than vinegar". Morrigan resolved to enjoy the time she was here, since it was only for a short time, and enjoy the people she was with. Cracking a smile, one she knew didn't reach her eyes, she looked at Conall and his cocky smirk grew. Morrigan couldn't help but notice he was still naked, she turned away, before the blush on her face became too obvious.

Conall caught her look and chuckled to himself before walking to the bathroom and turning on the shower. She could look all she liked, the beast inside him preened whenever she gazed at him, they both knew they were exquisite specimens of man and animal. But when their mate looked at them, they both knew they were the ones in the shadow of her beauty.

"I told them we would have breakfast in here, if that's alright with you?" Morrigan heard Conall ask from inside the bathroom, she didn't feel the need to respond - he had already made the decision - so began taking her sweater off, suddenly feeling the room was all too hot for her liking.

" _Zaagi'_?" he used the term of endearment he remembered hearing Takoda call Beth when he lived with them. Again no response. Conall stepped through the door to see if she was sleeping again, but was caught by surprise when he saw her standing at the bottom of the bed, lifting her sweater over her head. She put her long hair back into a messy bun, the window beside her shed golden morning light across the silhouette of her body.

He had never seen anything so stunningly sensual in his life.

Conall was suddenly glad for the separate bathroom.

"That, that sounds nice..." Morrigan was too distracted to answer in full sentences, she just threw a smile over her shoulder at him and stood to stretch herself out as her warring brain tried to plan out her next move. 27 hours in a car had made her back stiff, she arched it and then bent side-to-side, stretching her arms over her head, before planting them on the floor between her feet. Her legs were tight but she worked through the burn and could tell her body would be thankful for it.

Someone else was thankful for it too. Conall couldn't take his eyes off of her; she moved like a graceful cat, her body was exquisite now, not thin, but with enough meat on her body to last a Canadian winter. Her hips were wide, leading down to powerful long legs. Her torso curved in all the right places and made his mouth water, and her arms... the way they had wrapped around him last night when he was kissing her...  
He better make this a _cold_ shower...

"Can I ask why everyone so protective of me last night?" Morrigan hazarded as she heard him get into the shower, she entered the bathroom, and began talking from the other side of the fogged glass door. He was cornered in here, and she wouldn't get distracted while asking him the questions she wanted, no, _needed_ answers to.

"Well... you saw the wolves last night," he began, glad of the relative privacy, he wouldn't want Morrigan seeing his steadily hardening member from the sound of her voice and the proximity of her body. 

"Are they all, uh - _humans_ like you?" Morrigan was surprised she could actually comprehend and interact with all the information she had just learned.

 

There were people...             who could change into animals. 

A person she cared for, and whom she thought she knew so well...                         was one of them...

What drugs had she taken?!

 

"They are. Almost everyone living here is a Beast."

"Beast?" A giggle bubbled up from Morrigans throat and she had to cover her mouth, "That doesn't sound politically correct, or particularly acceptable." she said through a smile. Conall could hear that smile and it made him iron hard.

"Believe me," He gasped as he wrapped his hand around himself, pumping just once, trying to sate himself, "It is a lot nicer than some of the other names out there for us."

"Do many people know?" Morrigan asked linking her hands behind her neck and propping her hip on the counter-top.

"No, I would say less than the entire population of High Level knows about Beasts." He turned the water colder, trying to calm himself down, to punish himself for reacting this way to the woman on the other side of the glass, but no matter how cold, his body heat continued to steam up the small room.

There was a considerable silence, the only sound was Conall rinsing himself off and the water hitting the floor of the shower for a while. 

"And you are their... Alpha?" Morrigan guessed. From what she knew about wolves she considered the biggest wolf _would_ take the leadership role. At least she assumed he was the biggest.

"How did you know that?!" Conall slid open the door enough to look out from the shower, his gut wrenching when he saw where her tank top didn't cover her hip bone. His wolf wondered how the skin there tasted. He knew his eyes had darkened with lust for her, but he couldn't help scanning her toes and up, reveling in each glorious inch of her.

When he met her eyes she gave him a condescending look that she hoped clearly conveyed; 'I-know-more-than-you-think!' His cock twitched at that smug look, her confidence was appealing to his dominant nature. He shook his head trying to remember where their conversation had been heading.

"Okay, I'm their leader, yes. And well... they were protecting you." He closed the shower door again and put one hand against the shower wall, letting his head drop into the stream of water and finally gaining enough control to force his erection to relax. Not entirely, but enough that it (hopefully) wouldn't scare Morrigan off.

"Protecting me from what?" Morrigan's hands unlatched from behind her neck and came down to slap her thighs. At least this conversation was going somewhere, but just not fast enough for her liking.

Again silence for long seconds before Conall answered; "From me."

"But why?! You would never hurt me!"

"I didn't know what my Beast would do to you though. My Beast has never met you, so no one knew what to expect. I told them to take every precaution when it came to your safety." He took a long breath, bracing himself as he admitted his shame; "Plus they hadn't seen me human in over two months."

"What?" Morrigan asked breathlessly. She obviously knew nothing about the culture, but not being human for that amount of time did _not_  sound good.

"I-I..." Conall stuttered, shutting the water off and running a gruff hand over his face, attempting to scrub away the guilt he was feeling. She was his Imprinted, he couldn't hold the truth out from her. Slowly he opened the door and stepped out towards her, water dripping from his hair as Morrigan looked at him with concern, and not a hint of embarrassment at him being naked.

"I had finally gone crazy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think so far! - Thanks for the comments and kudos xo
> 
> Sorry there's no Google Translate for Kaw/Ojibwe - I'm mostly going off the small amount I know. I try to put definitions (or at least descriptions) near or beside every word I use, but if there is one I've forgotten or missed please let me know and I'll revise it! I might start naming the chapters after the words I can't find a place to translate.
> 
> I used to be a Quizilla member, and posted this story on there 10+ YEARS AGO! [any other Quizilla veterans on here?]  
> I am having so much fun going through this story and adding a more in-depth writing style to my old plot. (You could probably tell I hadn't done much to the first couple chapters, but now that I'm getting back in to the swing of things I'm moving away from a teenager's syntax and trying to apply a stronger vocabulary and more descriptive chapters rather than all dialogue and eye-rolls, haha)


	8. Giiwanaa'dizi - Crazy

"What do you mean _crazy_?!" Morrigan asked in a harsh whisper, Conall still stood in front of her, naked and wet, one hand on the back of his neck as he tried to think of how to explain himself. 

He couldn't just come out with it, he had no idea how much she knew - or could handle - at this point. He wished desperately at that moment that there had been another Imprinted couple in his situation that he could have asked all the questions running through his mind; he would have gone to the ends of the world to speak to them, to prepare himself better than he was now. With other imprinted mates he had met, they had never been separated, and so the bond was already solidified between the two; they could tell each other everything, knew how the other was feeling, grew up and grew old together.

Conall had not been there to see her going through those growing-up stages, missed her childhood, lost those adolescent years, missed all her big firsts... she could have possibly even _dated_ at some point!

It felt so unnatural it was hard to think about, but it _was_ possible. Sometimes the Imprint-ED did not have the same reaction as the Beast did, if there was no constant devotion or love, well it was entirely possible...

"Sometimes Beasts... it's a coping mechanism. The mental break between their human-selves and their animals. It can happen for - a lot of different reasons."

Conall did not want to reveal that oftentimes Beasts who did stay in their form for too long rarely came back to be productive members of pack society - eventually their mental state degraded until they were fully animals. When they became too far gone their Pack would give them one of two choices; either allow the Beast total control over itself - to live out it's days in the wild, severed from the pack - essentially killing the human sentience inside itself - or a bullet between the eyes. 

Blocking out the disturbing and all-too-familiar memories of lost Pack-mates; he turned away, grabbing a towel and started to dry his legs, before shaking his hair out like the animal he was.

Morrigan gasped at the cold water spraying her unprotected face and arms and turned to dash out of the bathroom, but he caught her from behind and pulled her tight against him. One thing she would have to learn; don't try running from a beast, the chase is too hard to ignore. She was glad the towel was between them, but otherwise she was getting soaked, his wet chest pressed against her back, his dripping arms seeping into her abdomen, and adding insult to injury he nuzzled his wet face into her neck and hair. She knew he was doing it to make her drop the "crazy" question, but she let it happen anyways, feeling her heart skip in her chest when he drew in a long breath as his nose ran along the shell of her ear.

He hummed, deep in his chest, sounding content. "You smell like home." he remarked before letting her go, "Tell me what happened to you while I was gone."

Morrigan looked at her wet clothes and sighed, beginning to strip down and intending on getting into the shower. Conall turned his back, not only out of respect, but because he didn't think he could hold himself back if he saw any more of her.

"How do I describe thirteen years of missing you?" Morrigan said dramatically, trying to make it sound like a joke, but her voice broke and she coughed to cover it up. Conall turned, concerned at the sound, and caught the last glimpse of her apple-bottom disappearing behind the fogged glass.

A line of electricity ran from his brain down his spine and coiled in his stomach; the thoughts of what he would do to that soft skin, how it would feel under his fingers, or to his lips, what noises she would make if he touched her there... Without realizing his muscles had all tensed, the Beast inside his head was roaring to go and claim its mate, but his human side wouldn't let it have free reign. Conall felt trapped between the two and just waited for her to keep speaking to calm him down.

After talking about town events and High Level gossip, Morrigan began speaking on a more personal level; "Da opened up a new restaurant named 'Morgies', Mom was trying to have another baby," Conall made a surprised noise from the other side of the glass and Morrigan quickly followed up with; "A long time ago, um - about a year after you left? But nothing happened... After that my life revolved around school and working." 

' _It should have been revolving around US!'_ Conalls Beast screamed, clawing at him from the inside out, frustrated and tired of waiting.

Conall had to clear his throat from the gravely Beasts voice before speaking again, "Di - did you meet lots of friends there, at school?" The voice stayed, he took a sip out of a water bottle from the mini-fridge along the wall that had been brought into the room (with other amenities preparing for Morrigan's arrival), but it did nothing to alleviate what felt like fire in his throat, the Beast was dying for his mates taste, just to lick the water off her skin would be enough for the rest of his life...

"Fuck! What _are_ you?! Alpha of the Nudist Pack?!" Morrigan had stepped out of the shower, covered with a large towel. She had only needed a quick rinse, and probably surprised Conall by coming out so quickly.  'Finally!' she thought to herself, 'A _natural_ reaction!'

Although Conall being naked around her didn't _feel_ unnatural...

He quickly put the towel in his hand over himself but kept drinking with a large smirk on his face.

"I did my degree online, so not a lot of people to meet. But I made a few friends in high school." She muttered, getting back to a normal conversation, trying to shake off the blush that was slowly rising from her chest to her cheeks. When she looked around confused, Conall pointed to the walk-in closet where her bags were. She went over and began rummaging through her clothes and pulling a patterned halter dress over her naked body and wrapping the top around her breasts and behind her neck. "Mostly girls."

"Mostly?" 

"Well there were one or two guys..."

"Oh yeah? Friends or more?" Conall was interrupting, his tone was a little demanding... Morrigan didn't like it, she brushed past him to sit at a small vanity on the other side of the bedroom, again filled with things whoever prepared for her arrival thought she would need - makeup, perfume, lotions, things she was sure she wouldn't touch - and started brushing out her hair.

"I don't think that's any of your business." 

Not the right answer.

Imprinted or not, Conall was Alpha, _EVERYTHING_ was his business!

"I think I deserve to know." he said with a cold smile, stalking towards her.

"I don't think you _do._ " Morrigan countered glaring at him in the reflection of the mirror. The child inside her was riled up, thinking this was just another one of Conall's ways to make her fuss. She recalled so many fights starting because of Conall's over-interest and Morrigan's stubbornness - it was almost as if they were in repeat in this moment. Who was he to demand all the details of her life? A life he had walked away from without so much as a backwards glance!

Conall came up behind her, his bulk covering all from view in the vanity mirror. His large hands closed over her shoulders - not threateningly - but a physical and conscious reminder that he was her superior here. His insides were warring with each other; Conall had never wanted Morrigan to miss out on anything in life, he wanted her to have all the experiences any young woman would, he stubbornly refused to believe he had robbed her of anything, while the Beast prided in the fact that he had; that she was untouched, that he would be the one to show her the ways of the world. 

"Morrigan," he started in measured tones, as if he were speaking to someone new to a language, "I don't believe you have ever been with a man, you do not have anyone's scent on you, and you are certainly too naive to understand why I'm asking. So you don't have to answer." Instead of relaxing Conall felt her shoulders tensing as he said it. Exactly the opposite of what he had been expecting, but he mentally shrugged and started to walk away, thinking he had done a favour to her, not having to admit her own innocen-

"I kissed a girl!" She had whirled around from the vanity chair and stood with one foot behind her like she was ready to fight. Her hair swirled around her and her fists were balled at her sides.

Conall stopped mid-stride.

"You, -you what?"

“I kissed someone!”

One _very_ small part of his brain sincerely thought _‘I’m proud of you!’_

Then the Beast took over.

“You what?!” He repeated louder, Morrigan looked a little frightened, but she stood her ground and lifted her chin higher. Conalls human and beast both remarked on how intensely striking she looked, then he shook his head to clear it and looked at her again.

“I kissed a girl. Her name was Tory Parker.”

Conall snapped. He knew it was cruel to but he couldn't stop himself from provoking her; “Was it perfect?” Conall asked sneering, slowly taking steps towards her, “Did she hold you tight? And tell you she loved you before she did it? Were her hands soft on you? Did she want to do more to you? Hmm? Tell all her friends about it afterwards? Tell me Morrigan!”

By now he was mere inches from her and when he shouted the last part she jumped and answered abruptly, the words just spilling out of her until she ran out of breath;

“What does it matter?! You weren't there, you didn't care enough to stay! No it wasn't perfect, and no we were not in love! But it was the realest connection with someone I had after you! I grew up because of her. You should be thankful...”

She ended her little rant with a small gasp and looked at Conall with big eyes.

" _Miigwe'chiwendan..._ " Conall hissed sarcastically through clenched teeth, _Thankful? Grateful?_ He took a step back from her and was sure he looked as if he was on the prowl. He had her bent over backwards on the vanity, brushes and bottles knocked to the floor, her dress hanging off of one shoulder.

He liked the mess, he liked Morrigan distraught like this, the way she was panting and trying to mentally fire-up her defiance again, but he _loved_ the way his body had arched over hers, and how hers was responding. He stepped back up to her again, relishing the quick intake of air she took as if preparing herself for another tirade. Breathing in made her chest press into his, every inhale pushing her closer to him as he felt her nipples hardening, her hair had fallen behind her and was hanging straight down, except for one lock on her shoulder. Conall didn’t want to touch it, it looked so perfect there, and instead he bent down and kissed it, just briefly tasting her skin underneath it. The smell of her arousal reached his senses, just the faintest touch, he stayed where he was, still, willing it to get stronger.

“I’m sorry your first kiss was not perfect - like it should have been.” He said it against her skin, watching the goosebumps appear across her shoulder. Parts of him wanted to treat her like the seven-year-old he had left behind, a child, his one and only substance in life, but she had changed, and there was no going back to the little girl he had known. His Beast knew the difference between the Morrigan he had known, and this woman before him; ‘ _It should have been us!’_ the Beast screamed again his teeth gnashing and his nails biting into himself.

“I don’t care,” Morrigan gasped shallowly, “It didn’t mean anything to me.”

Conall kept his head lowered, his breath feathering over her collarbone. “It didn’t mean anything?”

“None of that kind of stuff, m-means anything to me, if its... not with someone I-I love.” He could tell she was having a hard time concentrating with his lips so close to her skin, the stubble on his cheek gently raking across her throat... he could sympathize.

“Was that the only kiss?” Conall asked through gritted teeth, one of his hands had gone around her back and was playing with her hair, the weight of it in his hands calmed him. He almost didn’t want to know the answer, but getting it out of the way - like tearing off a bandaid - would be best.

Morrigan felt a sudden fire well up inside her, and heat flooded her veins, she had experienced only one other kiss, and that was last night to the man now crouching over her like a predator. She leaned her head to the side and tentatively touched her bottom lip to where his shoulder and neck connected, and with a small whispered, “Yes,” nipped him there.

Conall's Beast burst forward at the feel of her teeth on his skin, he shuddered as if the beast were actually coming forth, his hands coming down on Morrigans hips and his spine reverberating with barely-held control.

Without prompt his lips were on hers, crushing her into him with his thick arms around her waist and growling as her small hands went around his neck and her tiny nails bit into his shoulders. Her mouth was spice and ice, her tongue cool against his own, like a mountain stream. God he could drink up her taste for eternity, the feel of her lips against his own made such a profuse mess of his mind Conall couldn’t think of his next move until his body had already completed it.

Morrigan was down on the bed in an instant, he took a moment to admire her hair fanning out around her like some fallen angel as his lips found hers once more. Her athletic legs wrapped around his hips and pulled him closer as he continued to growl, non-stop until it was like some sort of purr. He ran his hands slowly up her thighs, kneading the soft skin there and feeling her moan into his mouth as he did so. His cock was achingly hard, but he was careful not to touch her with it, instead letting it get wrapped up in the soft fabric of her dress and hidden from view.

Her hands wanted to touch Conall everywhere, when he pulled away from their kiss for a quick gasp of air, her hands flew into his hair, gripping tightly to pull his mouth back down to hers. His chest ground against hers and she raked her nails over his shoulder, leaving marks. He felt like heat and silk against her... oh no - wait, that was her clothing. Morrigan knew she should be more careful about the unclothed man between her legs and how her dress was the only thing keeping their naked bodies apart. She knew that... but she couldn't seem to muster up the enthusiasm to _care_.

A knock came from the door - Conall pushed up from her to snarl looking towards the entrance. She was panting under him - hands still entwined in his thick, dark hair. The snarl didn't unnerve her as much as she thought it would have, Morrigan was more perturbed by his lips leaving hers.

A mumble came from the other side of the door that Morrigan couldn’t understand but Conall did.

‘B-Breakfast, is ... here...” he was panting too, Morrigan noted with a smile, enjoying the way his heavy breath poured over her chest and throat.

As he was talking she had run her hand through his hair, down his neck and to his chest where she could feel his heart pumping like an engine. She had just wanted to see his heart-rate but when she saw Conall bite his lip and groan as her tiny nails scraped his nipple she blushed, never knowing she could be so sensual.

“I am a little hungry.” Morrigan tried to say in a normal voice, it came out sultry and whispered, like a lover.

Conalls hooded eyes glinted with amusement and desire before pushing off of her and walking to the door, grabbing his discarded towel on the way.

Phi was at the door, he looked at the towel and laughed, “What? Now that _she’s_ here you finally get some decency? C’mon Alpha, we’ve all seen you before,” he said with a joking wink.

Conall glared and whispered around the door; “It’s _not_ that.”

Phi stopped laughing when he got it... then accidentally glanced down again.

“Oh god... I didn’t mean to do that.” He stuttered, forcing the breakfast platter into his Alphas free hand, “There are some things a pack-mate should _never_ see of their Alpha...” he mumbled as he walked away.

* * *

 

Hi all, so I haven't figured out how to get hyperlink's into the Beginning or end notes so I'm putting them here; 

If you would like to know who I modeled Morrigan after think a blend between [Chelsea Gilligan](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE1NTIwMjYyNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTg1MTI1NTE@._V1_UY1200_CR84,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg) and [Jade Willoughby](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/78/a1/9b/78a19b02f941a6c77e029abcfe6c781b.jpg) (two real indigenous women who act and model) 

If you would like to know who I modeled Conall after see [David Gandy](http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article7116323.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/David-Gandy-for-Autograph.jpg) 

[Okay b/c I'm trash and can't resist here are a few more; [gif](https://media.giphy.com/media/10k366VhRkKhMI/giphy.gif) [2008](https://media.giphy.com/media/mbpJb5AGNL10A/giphy.gif) and [the pic that inspired it all](http://www.newnownext.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/david-gandy-6.jpg) !!!]

But as always please invent them in your own mind, use whoever you would like <3 


	9. Onjinazh - Reason to Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG y'all - I am SO sorry for not posting sooner. I know I promised this was going to be last week - but life happened and I got totally swept up. 
> 
> I'm really hoping to make it up to all of you with this juicy chapter - lots of detailed information, heavily influenced by one of my favourite writers Lora Leigh and her "Breeds" Series. She does an excellent job of portraying the lives and struggles of half human/half animal sub-species, and how they can function in today's society.
> 
> Anyways - forgive me for being late, we all have lives and mine got messy. :P

"Your breakfast is in the front room, Morg." Conall said before passing her panting body still atop the bed and into the walk-in closet. It was difficult enough to walk past Morrigan still lying where he had left her, but when she made a hungry little moan, (unsure if she was directing it at him or the presence of food) he had to fight his Beast from turning right around and devouring her himself.

Conall was trying to practice restraint, he really was. This young woman had just been plucked out of her community and dropped in the middle of an entirely new one, with a new culture, set of customs, and expectations. He needed to go slow with her, acclimate her to this lifestyle, see if she even wanted to be a part of it. 

His Beast liked the idea of  _going slow_. But in an entirely different train of thought - the animalistic possession of of his mate, body and soul, one slow lap of his tongue at a time. 

He took long, deep breaths and stuffed his Beast further down, cutting off that train of thought before it could even take hold. The way the air smelt this morning, Conall could tell it was going to snow later, he wouldn't need the warm clothes, but he wore another layer anyway, just in case Morrigan would need more than her dress. 

When he came out Morrigan was in the front room already digging into her plate, not being graceful or dainty about it at all, ripping at a beef sandwich like he did a deer leg. He loved it.

He looked across the rooms for a moment; it felt so natural that she was here now, she fit in to his home like she was an object blending into a painting. These rooms, this home, was just a building with walls he had been confined to these past years - waiting to be filled with meaning and life. He could see her everywhere in his apartment; trying on clothes in the closet, sitting in front of the fireplace with a book, opening the door and letting friends in, sneaking in to his office across the apartment to distract him from work. Morrigan fit. Just like he knew she would. 

"I need to introduce you to the Pack today." he said sitting on the other couch across the coffee table from Morrigan - he checked the clock on the mantle, it was almost noon, the Pack would be around the house, a good time to try and catch as many as he could at once. She looked at him with her mouth full, her big eyes urging him to continue. "Once they all know your scent you will be able to walk around here freely. Then later in the week I'll make sure you meet our scientists and our Specialty Team that's out in the field now." Conall sat on the edge of his seat, watching her reaction to all of what he was telling her. For someone that found out shape-shifters exist a mere ten hours ago she seemed to be taking it well.

"What does a Specialty Team do?" Morrigan mumbled through a mouth full of eggs.  
  
"A Specialty Team is hired by anyone to do any 'job'. There are several of them at HQ. I'm with team one, St. Alpha Team," she snorted at that, he was no _saint_ , he smirked at her and continued, "... and I'll make sure to let you know each pack-mate in the others."

"A 'job'?" Morrigan's humour faded as put her glass down and looked at Conall, who was struggling not to meet her intense gaze. "What does that mean?"

"Like, security... or body guarding... or an arrest..." That was the most under-stated definition he could possibly give.

"An arrest? So they can protect _or_ take people out?!" Morrigan was not a fan of hypocritical organizations - as any native man or woman would be - from experience.

"Hired by _any_ one to do _any_ job." Conall defended. He was extremely proud of his Teams, they worked unbelievably hard to provide for their Pack, and he had trained them all himself.

 

In reality the Specialty Teams were the Pack's main source of income. Many other packs around the world used what they could, (mainly their enhanced physical attributes), to live within today's society, all the while hiding their were-status. There were countries that still did not appreciate a sub-species in their midst and would expose their secret if given the slightest provocation. _  
_

Conall's Pack was well rounded, and after a decade of working on them, there were facets to their Teams, ones that made his operation highly sought out by government's, corporations, royalty, etc. Essentially, high ranking individuals and organizations looking for services ranging from the benign to full-scale operations. 

Conall had secured a profitable client when he left High Level; the United States Government. With the full force of the U-S-of-A; they go where other soldiers fear to tread, scoping out potential threats, taking out strategic targets and conducting daring rescue missions; and with the added security it's now against the law to publish their names or pictures of their faces. Usually the primary purpose of his Teams is intelligence gathering, which sounds safe and innocent enough, but it often means they have to operate deep behind enemy lines.

In the beginning their basic goal was to prepare for possible future responses to the extremely violent attacks against their species, if the general public were to ever learn about them. Now, under Conall's leadership and molding, Specialty Teams are paramilitary units extremely trained to perform unconventional, typically insecure missions for their employer's political, economic or military purposes. They are deployed in cases of hostage taking, kidnapping, terrorism and extortion, but are also employed as extremely formidable bodyguards for high-ranking politicians. The "safer" part of their jobs were when they would be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, track down fugitives and sometimes conduct sniper operations. The entire Pack is very active in developing and testing methods and tactics for these missions. While the Specialty Teams make up around 15-20% of Conall's pack-members, _everyone_ is involved in some aspect of their organization. The Pack would not be able to thrive as well as it has if there were no transparency or cooperation towards a successful mission, and an end-goal. 

Available for extended policing duties, paramilitary operations, and covert operations, the Team's operate both domestically and internationally. Their units are trained to perform counter-terrorist and hostage rescue missions anywhere in the world. Each unit is trained for special tasks, whether combat diving, close quarters sea combat, exfiltration, "canine" units, or long range fire support, including snipers and missile launchers. 

Specialty Team Nyx was currently deployed for a large-scale intervention mission in Venezuela. It’s primary missions are typically special reconnaissance, direct action, and internal defense within foreign nations although it is an extremely versatile group capable of conducting many types of clandestine missions. St. Nyx beasts are trained to administer guerrilla warfare, which entails infiltrating a hostile area in anticipation of a large-scale military engagement, and training the local resistance populations to fight back against the enemy.  In the event that there is no local resistance to the enemy, the Teams infiltrate and soften up the enemy by neutralizing as many of its officers as possible. Conall wouldn't get into what "softening up" entailed.

 

Their training regimen is comprised of 4 phases, increasing in strenuousness. Phase 1 is SERE training; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape. Beast's are trained to live in any environment in capacities such as making fire by friction, fire by mirrors, even fire by ice, depending on the location to which they are deployed. After this, they begin physical fitness training, and hand-to-hand combat, practicing a hybrid of the most functional martial arts: Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, even Pankration. Special attention is given to knife fighting, passed down from their deadly Apache ancestors.

Conall would never tell Morrigan this about their training; how they spar with the express goal of injuring each other, breaking ribs, fingers, vertebrae, healing only long enough to get back on their feet and complete the training. They are not taught to ignore pain, that is impossible. They are instead taught to _enjoy_ it...

This is just Phase 1, which the entire pack receives. Phase 2 is for those beasts who particularly excelled, and teaches marksmanship, amphibious demolitions, and reconnaissance. Phase 3 is a continuation of 2, but with the addition of technology such as field radioes and satellite data-uplink systems. Phase 4 is “irregular warfare” instruction, which is a euphemism for “anything goes.” This phase forces the recruits to use all skills acquired during the course. 

 

Often there were wolves that could not handle the higher phases of training, and they were given other, equally as important jobs; Headquarter's Unit - or just HQ - is the unit which deploys the Teams all over the world to detect international intelligence threats and “neutralize” them before they become truly dangerous. Many beasts feel that the HQ assignments and missions are dull or boring, so many of the human mates will take up HQ roles (this is a convenient way for them to keep an eye on their mates out in the field). HQ wolves are, however in charge of all vehicles, equipment and weaponry deployed for each operation. Teaching of languages and correspondence tracking also fall under the HQ's tasks. This is where the most intelligent of the Pack often operate, human and wolves alike. 

 

 

Morrigan could read between the lines. "So you assassinate people?! You're involved on both sides of the law Conall! How do you live with that? Someone could hire you to protect your own murder victims! What kind of crazy operation are you trying to get away with?!" She slapped the table beside her food tray, Conall did not rise to the bait and spoke evenly when he replied.

"We are highly trained professionals about any job we are hired to do, we do what needs to be done when the government does not want to get their hands dirty, and no one can reveal us to the public. It's the perfect _invisible_  occupation for us."

"More like trained _dogs_!" Morrigan spat out. She didn't think about what she was saying but saw exactly when it cut through Conall. His eyes flashed in pain, then focused on her like she imagined hers had looked at him when he told her he was leaving thirteen years ago.

His face hardened as he shook it off and retorted; "How would we live otherwise Morrigan?! No money? No jobs? _Then_ we would really be dogs! Hunting animals for our every meal, running from humans and hunters alike!" He stood up and paced while he spoke, coming to stand at one of the large windows. He could see himself reflected in the glass; crossed arms, stern face - it reminded him too much of the Navy Sergeant he had served under many moons ago...

"This isn't a curse Conall! You're an extraordinary being given a gift! I understand you are all trying to use it to your best ability, but taking other beings lives for any reason other than staying alive is wrong!" Morrigan had stood now too, she never liked arguing from a disadvantaged place and sitting on the floor was leaving her vulnerable.

"I have seen the life go out of men's eyes..." Conall said quietly, almost as if to himself before turning and looking at Morrigan. "Eyes that had watched the life leave innocents, children. How can you say that's not justified?!"

Morrigan was appalled; "I never said their lives were not worth taking! I'm saying the damage it's doing on your soul is unbearable! Whatever they have done - is not for us to decide their punishment! Let the Creator will do that, or ... whatever the fuck is out there!"

Conall just looked at her. Morrigan could have slapped herself - all this talking about judgment and here she was, judging him much more harshly than he deserved. The anger flushed out of her, from her head down to her toes and she took a deep steadying breath.

"I'm sorry Conall. I don't even know half the story and I start shouting my opinions like I have a say in it all..." Morrigan trailed off, feeling awkward. She began to clean her dishes up when Conall finally spoke again;

"You have changed so much, I just can't believe you're my little Morgi sometimes." He laughed, and when Morrigan looked up at him it started her smiling too. Conall came over and took her hands from the dishes, lifting the tray and walking over to the front door. He opened their apartment and put the tray outside on the ground, just like one would at a hotel. When he stood, still leaning against the open door, he looked back at Morrigan and cocked an eyebrow. 

"Coming?" he held out a hand towards her. Morrigan just nodded dumbly and joined him, taking his hand tentatively as he tugged her out into the hall.

Morrigan swallowed at the contact with Conall's palm; it felt as if there was a flame simmering just under his skin. Her attention was quickly pulled away from him as she got her first look at the west side of the mansion. It was dark, there were only windows at the very end of the hall and light coming from the main atrium Morrigan had seen last night. Looking up and down the hallway there were shallow gouges in the marble floors and walls, (presumably from claws?), and leaves all along the hallway, but never inside the rooms as far as she could tell.

"We like to keep the windows and doors open so we can smell the outside at all times. It keeps us sane. And sometimes this," he indicated to the leaves on the floor "- happens because of it. Does it bother you?" Conall slowed his pace to wait for her answer, his eyes never leaving her face.

"No, not at all, I love it actually. How bad does winter get down here?" Morrigan asked while kicking through a pile of leaves with her bare feet, fall was her favourite season, and to have fall inside too? She could get used to the idea of that.

"Never cold enough that I won't be able to warm you, love." Conall said nonchalantly and Morrigan felt her blush rising up her chest. She turned away and pretended to inspect a painting on the wall in an attempt to hide it.

Zeta came out of an apartment door ahead of them and smiled at her Alpha. She was wearing her workout clothing, probably on her way to the training area, and in true Zeta style she was in all black.

"Zetaphrine," Conall let go of Morrigans hand as he caught up to his pack-mate. Morrigan was happy to have the time to compose herself.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to express my... gratitude last night," He was looking straight into her eyes trying to convey how thankful he really was to her. Direct eye contact was a sign of respect from the Alpha down to his subordinates - Zeta felt overwhelmed by it and had to look down at the floor.

"Please sir, anyone here would have done it."

"None the less." he clasped his hands on her shoulders. There was the telltale pain associated with him touching anyone _but_ his mate, he felt this warranted the discomfort to let her know. Conall had been dealing with the pain for the past thirteen years, and without Morrigan for relief - he could handle it a lot better now that he knew her soft skin was nearby, like the cooling salve on a burn. He heard the padding of Morrigans naked feet approaching them and let his friend go, his hands stinging. Placing his arms around her and touching her exposed back was immediate relief - which came with the added bonus of making Morrigan gasp and press herself closer to Conall. She looked at him with lust in her warm gaze, and Conall lost all words and thoughts, effectively forgetting Zeta was close by.

"Would you like me to assemble the Pack, Alpha?" Zeta asked after a moment. When he said nothing she minutely bowed her head and walked away, knowing it was a yes.

Morrigan did not feel as uncomfortable as she expected to be, being held and looked at like this. She could feel the bond between them, restored almost to it's full potential; how easily they had snapped back together, like two magnets, drawn to the other with equal force. Morrigan just wondered if the forces pulling them together were the same _type_  - Morrigan knew her's was love, lust, longing; the 'big brother' cloak had shed from the memory of Conall as soon as Morrigan had grown old enough to know what marriage, partnership, and affection looked like, known that she wanted that from someone - and Conall was the only person who fit the bill in her mind.

She knew Conall loved her too, but how far did his love reach? Had she thrown off the 'baby sister' label in his mind? Was he attracted to her? It seemed so, he would not have kissed someone he was not attracted to... unless he did it because he knew that's what she wanted. Who was she to him?

She couldn't process all the things coming-and-going through her head. The only thing on her mind was 'Is he going to kiss me now?'

A loud and long howl broke their concentration on each other and Conall nodded his head to the side, suggesting they keep walking. "Morrigan, you are either going to see a large amount of naked persons, or some very large wolves. Can you handle that?"

Morrigans heart rate went up a kick or two but when Conall's hand clasped around hers she knew she would be fine.

They entered the main entrance atrium and Morrigan was able to look around appreciatively, unlike last night there was no one chasing her, so she could take her time observing the surroundings. Morrigan stood at the banister where Conall's beast had jumped up, tracing her fingers over the deep claw marks left behind. The atrium was enormous, it was a beautiful cylindrical room with a glass dome for a roof; the light spilling in reflected off the pink marble in a dazzling brilliancy. The twin staircases stayed along the rounded walls, leaving the entrance to another room underneath where Morrigan was standing. The door Conall's Beast had knocked down was resting against the wall beside the entrance waiting to be returned to its original state.

Morrigan could hear shuffling and barks, laughs and footsteps approaching. Then, as if a dam broke, the atrium began filling up; wolves of every colour, with a few scattered humans among them, pouring in from all sides; the west and east wing, the front entrance, everywhere! They all looked amicable and relaxed; there were tongues lolling, people patting others on the backs, the low hum of chatter, whines and wolves bumping into each other.

"You'll be able to tell the other mated humans by their wearing clothes." Conall chuckled, some sort of 'pack joke' Morrigan guessed.

When the atrium was completely filled Conall whistled two sharp notes, and the wolves began assembling themselves into what looked like... groups?

"What are they doing now?" Morrigan whispered.

"Getting into their packs." 

She looked up at his smirking face, trying to comprehend what he was implying...

"There are... there's more than one?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you all think so far?
> 
> Does the references between the beast's mind and Conall's seem confusing at times? In my mind I know when each one is speaking and who is referencing what, but I want to make sure that translates.  
> Also with the beast VS Beast and pack VS Pack, I really am trying to be consistent with my uses of capitalization and what one means compared to the other. :P 
> 
> And if any of you read Lora Leigh I am taking a lot of ideas from her Breeds Series (seriously some of the best writing I have come across to this day. I LOVE her work!)


	10. Ga'shkiwane - She is Able to Carry a Pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so ga'shkiwane actually means "She is able to carry a pack" but it's meant in the sense of a rucksack/backpack unfortunately. I can't seem to translate exactly what I'm looking for - but it was too good of a title to pass up for Morrigan's first meeting with The Pack.

"There are four packs living here." Conall confided, enjoying the shocked look on Morrigan's face, "I'm the Alphas' Alpha. Or the Alpha Omega."

Morrigan would have scoffed at the God-like metaphor, _the beginning and the end_ , but was too awed to make a sound. There had to be at least thirty individuals in each pack, and the ones covered in fur were _big._ She could not fathom any of the wolves she saw now were shorter in the shoulder than she was tall, and at 5'7" Morrigan was no small girl. 

Conall whistled - differently then the last time, [Morrigan would have to ask him to teach her how he could produce so many different sounds, or possibly what other sounds his lips could produce from her... _Not now Morrigan!_ ] - That whistle brought around a dozen of the very largest wolves stepping forward and coming up the stairs towards them.

Morrigan froze - she was not afraid this time - just completely shrunk in comparison to these gargantuan, _magnificent_ , beasts. Her breath caught in her throat, the lithe way they moved, the beauty of their fur and the insurmountable strength in the muscles beneath it, Morrigan felt almost lightheaded, she grabbed Conall's elbow as they reached the upper landing and came to sit and stand in a loose semi-circle around her.

Conall looked down at the girl, no the woman, _no_ \- his mate, clinging to his arm and felt his chest expand at the feeling of her leaning in to him for support - he was sharing his world with her, and she was reaching out, not recoiling and running away. He felt a well of satisfaction, simmering, not daring to spill over inside of him - just in case this was all too much for his 'little' woman.

"Morrigan," he began, there was no recognition from her, but he knew her attention was thrown out - wary - ten feet around herself as if in a way of protection, noting every shake, shift and blink - he tried to placate her, "These wolves are pack leaders, Alphas," four bowed deeply, "Their mates," the Luna's or Lupa's dipped their heads beside their mates', "And their second hands, or Beta's." He paused, "Delta," a smaller grey wolf ahead of the remaining wolves who had dropped into a bow, stepped forward tentatively and looked at Morrigan with bright, intelligent eyes, reaching out a large paw and bumping her in the legs with it. "Delta is my Second In Command." Conall finished, his eyes on her face, waiting - longing, for her reaction. He could not admit, not even to himself, how deeply - sickeningly - he was baited on her reaction - anticipating the scream, the terror, the begging to let her go home - he would of course, with no hesitation, but he knew he would never see the next morning's light if he let her out of his grasp a second time.

Morrigan felt - deep inside herself, more than the moment she knew Conall was alive, more than when she felt she was brought to this place, more than _ever_ \- felt that this was a defining point in the rest of her life. The room stilled, a quiet, nervous energy surrounded her - in a way that the numbness before a panic attack engulfs you.

_She was in the eye of a storm that she had never known she was in the path of._

But here stood a massive wolf in front of Morrigan, and a man who needed her, standing to her side, she had a decision to make; accept this life, and all the facets it entailed;

_Wolf_

_Man_

_Pack_

Or, go home to her tiny town in the Canadian tundra and never look back. Morrigan swallowed tightly and spoke; "H-hello?" she said tentatively, extremely aware of the gouge-marks, pressing into her lower back, left by Conall's Beast on the banister behind her. If their nails could do that to cold, hard marble, what damage would they do to her?!

After Delta had placed both his giant paws in front of her feet he slowly bent his head to rest on them and sniffed her shins. Morrigan had no idea what she had to do next, but assumed it would upset Conall if his second sniffed her anywhere else.

"He wants you to pet him," Conall whispered beside her, and she trembled at the sensation of his breath floating through her hair. When Morrigan looked back down, the beautiful amber eyes were pleading up at her just like she remembered the dogs in High Level doing. It was easy to make her decision after that. She tentatively reached out and put her hand on the forehead of the great Beast, running her fingers through the coarse fur, much like a polar bears'. He chuffed and gave the top of her foot a tentative lick. Morrigan laughed shrilly at the feeling and out of the corner of her eye saw Conall visibly relax as the tension bled out of the room. Now that the tight silence was broken the rest of the Pack below her began to mingle and move again. 

Conall let out a breath he did not know he had been holding.

Delta's wolf broke out into a goofy smile, his large teeth glittering as his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, he stood back so the other pack ranks could perform the same greeting. The two female Alpha's physical introduction to Morrigan was much different - quite like a hug, they would place their large heads over one of Morrigans shoulders and Morrigan would reach up around their necks. When she let go they would back up so they could bump noses, just like the Inuits did to kiss.

Morrigan was beginning to wonder how the males greeted one another when finally the leaders all returned to their packs... Then the procession started.

Wolves would pass - according to their pack and rank - and either sniff Morrigans hand or let her blow in their faces, to let them know "her scent", Conall told her. She got many a lick and bump as the procession went by and she couldn't help but laughing and smiling at each one. (She was also happy the nude ones had shifted back into their wolf forms so she didn't have to see too much of them, of course, she was sure she would have to see all of them naked at some point, but would rather _later_ than now.)

Morrigan was trying to distinguish differences between the wolves she saw - she would never be able to remember all of them in such a compact meeting - but she was trying her damnedest! It didn't help that Conall was only introducing them by pack and not by name, in wolf-form the pack didn't use names so much as they used scents to remember and reference each other. Morrigan chalked this event up as  _her_ introduction to  _them._ She resolved that when she was introduced while they were human she would make a point to remember their faces and names. (Out of hundreds of wolves, the few human mates she did meet today probably weren't going to stick in her memory either - but Morrigan didn't think they would mind; they probably had to go through all this at some point too.)

When the procession was finally finished all of the wolves were socializing and getting ready for the evening hunt when Conall looked over at Delta, who was sitting beside him, and asked "Can you call the Teams over?"

Delta's wolf just nodded and looked into the crowd pack. Morrigan watched the beast closely, but saw him make no move or noise - more than one set of ears perked up in the pack and around twenty wolves branched out from the group and come back up the stairs.

"St. Alpha," Conall started as Morrigan assumed those team members separated themselves from the rest, "Is my Team."

Eight wolves approached, one with a curious nose-ring, and in the time Morrigan had blinked two of them had phased back into their human form, she wished they could do it just a bit slower, she was _extremely_ curious as to how it happened.

The two that had phased were Zeta and Phi. Zeta went to stand by a similarly naked, _human_ Delta and kissed him. Phi came to stand on the other side of Morrigan and she could not help but notice how... bald he was.

"I thought all the myths say the length of a humans hair relates to the length of the Beasts coat?" Morrigan whispered to Conall, Conall just shook his head laughing and answered;

"We all wanted to see what a bald Beast looked like and Phi lost a bet, so we shaved him... everywhere... and it still seems his Beast had fur, so we're looking for another possible explanation. You can ask our scientists about it later."

Morrigan covered her mouth to keep from laughing and sobered up when Conall turned back to the six remaining wolves and began to point them out;

"The black and white one is Mu, the blonde one is Kappa, the smallest is Theta, the twins are Xi and Tau, and the white one is Lambda." Each one bowed their heads when their name was said, and Morrigan noticed the pattern.

"All letters of the Greek Alphabet?"

"It's only fitting that, if our leader is Alpha, our ranks should be justified in our names. Although most of them are very close to what our real names are." Phi answered, when Morrigan looked at him questioningly he hung his head and muttered; "Phillip..."

"Wow-" Morrigan began to say before a yawn took her, was it that late already? Looking above her she could see the darkening skies and bleeding oranges signalling dusk was upon them.

"After the other Teams we'll go to bed, alright love?" Conall asked her, Morrigan blushed at 'we' and 'bed' but nodded her head nonetheless, not wanting to show weakness in front of these powerful beings. Whether it was sleep or embarrassment, she was willing to bet each remaining eye was focused on her and her reactions here today. This was a test, and she was determined not to fail it.

The other two groups presented themselves, not carrying Greek names anymore, but still all having a type of pattern to conform to; ones even had semblances of paint on their faces. Morrigan smiled and pet all of them, her eyes drooping ever more.

"Okay Morgie," Conall said indulgently - just like when she was little - reaching an arm around her shoulders and placing the other behind her knees he pulled her up an in to his embrace, "Off to bed."

Morrigan peeked back over his shoulder and waved at the Team wolves on the landing; some panted like they were smiling, others ears perked and paws lifted, swiping in the air, yips and barks like they were all chattering with one another.

Morrigan knew she would love it here.

 

* * *

  

As Morrigan was placed on the couch in Conall's room, once again with food laid out in front of her, she couldn't help but ask;

"When can I see _your_ Beast again?"

Conall froze once more. She seemed to be good at making him do that.

"Morrigan," he whispered, straining to contemplate, to enunciate what his mind and duality was striving to communicate. Morrigan could see Conall's struggle - this had been an intense, overwhelming past 24 hours. Of all the things Morrigan had gone through today, comforting Conall had not been one she was expecting.

The calamity inside Conall stilled when he felt a gentle, cool hand against his jaw, pulling his face down to look at her. _Her_. He was reminded of the small hands that grabbed his face last - thirteen years prior - begging him to stay, not to leave her, not to abandon her in the cold.

_Fuck._

"Why haven't you run out of here screaming yet?" His voice was rough, he wished he could blame the harshness of his tone on his Beast, but the maddening animal inside him was complacent and muted, allowing the man to feel and experience much more than the dual soul usually buffered, " _You_ \- you, are taking this like someone who has always known about _us_. This has got to be the least bit mentally traumatizing for you, hasn't it?" he broke out of her hold and began to pace, running his hands through his hair. Morrigan now had an answer as to why he had been watching her so intensely all day.

She was thrown for a moment - did he really think she was going to run out on him... after she had just gotten him back in her life?

"Conall," Morrigan approached him to take his hands out of his hair and stop his pacing, "How could I be afraid of anything you are?" she started to run her nails through his hair to try and get him to stop shaking and looking at her like a broken glass figurine. "I'm not going to run away, I accept you for _who_ you are, not _what_ you are." He huffed out a semblance of a laugh and looked down, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders, trying to decide what to say next.

"I-I just don't want seeing Makade to be the last straw for you, to send you screaming running from my home, from me. I could not live with what I am if you could not stand it."

Morrigan dropped her head too, she wanted to reassure him that what he was afraid of would never happen - but she also knew she would have to come face to face with the animal she had accepted was going to end her life only yesterday. _Makade... Black. How could it be I thought I had known him my whole life, but that is the first time I have heard his_ other _name?_

She could not make promises she might not be able to keep. "Please, give me a chance first?" Morrigan nudged his chest with her elbow - nervous energy thrumming through her from head to toe.

Conall sighed, looking her in the eyes, Morrigan wondered whether he was trying judge if she was serious or not, when he mussed up her hair and started walking into the bedroom saying; "Eat your dinner first."

Morrigan was left with her mouth gaping - how could he treat her like a goddess then suddenly a child?! She stomped her foot and huffed. What a ... a-a... Beast!

From the other room he heard her muttering to herself about him posessing 'the stuck up pride of an alpha-male too'. He chuckled to himself.

Now that he was alone - 'alone' never truly meant such for Conall - he stood in front of the full length mirror in the closet, his hands on the back of his head, trying to make the decision. If she loved him as he was now - and that was a big _'if'_ - would the Imprinted-bond, still so new and flickering between them, would it be enough to make her stay? Even if she were afraid of his other half?

 _She should be more afraid of your half, Brother_. his Beast muttered inside him, enjoying the shocked expression Conall's face had when he said it -  _You forget I am in your head as well - she should be afraid of the things you want to do to her. _Here their minds were parallel yet disconnected; wanting Morrigan in a purely physical capacity. While his Beast was yearning to taste her skin with its tongue, feel her hands on his fur, Conall had other ideas of what he wanted to taste and where he wanted her hands.

Conall shook his head, _Here goes nothing_.

Morrigan was picking through the last of her salad, not liking it very much compared to the phenomenal steak she had just inhaled - she made a mental note to find out who did the cooking here and become fast friends with them - when she heard a cough.

Not really a cough, but a huff. She placed her fork down slowly and stood up, when she cast her eyes to the windows only the dim reflection of shadow rose up behind her. Morrigan's heart rate had spiked and she could feel her lungs wanting to constrict - to make her panic. She closed her eyes and tried to collect herself, clenching her fists and releasing them repeatedly. 

Morrigan turned and black filled her vision, she stumbled back and almost fell over the table.

Conall screamed inside the Beast, _Look at the fear in her eyes, ma'iingan-iikaan!  
_

Morrigan easily and eagerly proved him wrong, she smiled and he thought he saw tears come to her eyes before she whispered, "Makade, you are _magnificent!_ "

Conall was stunned into silence. The great black beast’s tail slowly started sweeping from side to side and his eyes locked on hers - even more intensely as she walked over and reached out a hand to him, hesitating, minutely, at first before burying it in the pelt at his neck. An answering shudder raced through his body, he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. They stood a long, slow moment like this - before Morrigan's curiosity took over. She couldn't help but let her hands roam everywhere, stroking his ears and plucking at the white hairs at the tips. Running along his snout to his wet nose and then underneath to feel his powerful jaw. Dragging her nails over his shoulders and back before leaning down to marvel at his powerful legs and shining claws. The Beast enjoyed the treatment, preening under his mates intense scrutiny, playfully bumping her with his head and comically bouncing open his large mouth when she dangled a piece of fatty, leftover steak for him. 

Her small hands ended their exploration on his jowls, holding his face so he would look at her. "How could you _ever_ not trust me with this?!" The Beast responded with an apologetic lick on her forearm, making her laugh.

"I think it's fantastic! I think you're even more handsome in this form than human." she joked, still with wonderment in her eyes, but before she could say anything else - her hands were on Conall's human face, his human, naked, body pressed against hers once more, and his deep voice playfully asking;

"Oh really?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I am so wholly nervous about this chapter - I removed almost everything about the packs to focus on the experience Morrigan and Conall have on her first day meeting the Pack. 
> 
> I wanted to detail the packs more but realized I was running off into tangents - that the chapter did not flow and stuttered. There are so many indigenous myths and folklore that revolve around shape-shifting, it's an extreme belief that boasts of unending information - but has "profited" so from Twilight fanaticism that it's hard to tell fact from fiction (online at least - I'll always trust my grandmother's stories!). As much as I would love to pack minutiae into every letter of my writing - I do NOT have the skill of my favourite authors, Stephen King, George R. R. Martin, Tolkien etc - the Particular Kings!
> 
> Anyways NEXT CHAPTER will be an extremely detailed explanation into each sub-pack and their history. Regular story will resume afterwards!  
> (I recommend reading the pack chapter as it will be referenced _much_ in the coming chapters!)
> 
>  
> 
> Posted Sept. 10, 2017  
> W. 3,111


	11. Biid-Ondamon - The Path that Leads Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tribe's / sub-pack descriptions. 
> 
> Enjoy!

To understand the Pack one must know their history and origin first. 

One such account tells us that beasts were given to humans after a great tragedy, such as in  _Manabush and his Brother._

When Manabush had accomplished the works which the Great Spirit had sent him to do, he moved far away and built his wigwam on the northeast shore of a large lake. Since he was alone, the spirits wanted to give him a companion in the form of his twin brother. The spirits brought his brother to life. Manabush's brother looked like a human being but could also assume the shape of a Wolf, which he used when he hunted. Since Manabush had always been aware of the jealousy of the evil spirits from under the earth and the water, he warned his brother the Wolf never to return come home across the lake but rather to always go around it by shore. One day, after the Wolf had been hunting all day, he found himself directly across the lake from his wigwam, and so he decided to cross directly over the frozen lake. When he was partly across the lake, the ice broke and he fell through. He was seized by the bad underwater spirits and destroyed.

Manabush immediately knew what had happened to his brother, and he mourned his brother for four days. Every time Manabush sighed it made the earth tremble, forming the hills and valleys. The spirit of his brother the Wolf appeared before Manabush and Manabush realized that his brother would not return to him. He told the wolf's spirit to go to the west to become the chief of all the departed spirits. His brother said no, that he would not leave, but stay and be a part of Manabush forever. 

From then on, whenever Manabush went hunting, his brother Wolf joined him. Now they were together forever, as one.

 

Other ancient stories claim that the first beasts did not originate from humans, but animals, like in  _How Dogs Came to Live With the Indians._

We often hear the saying that the dog is man's best friend. But before the dog came to live with humans, it belonged to the dog family, and there among the wolves the dogs had to do all the errands. One cold day, the wolves ordered the dog to go to a man's wigwam to get fire. This was the only place that the wolves knew that they could get fire but it was very dangerous for any wolf to go there. The wolves had often gone to Indian villages to get fire, but they would always drop the coals and the humans would get the fire back. Or as they carried a burning stick it would burn brighter and they would have to drop it or otherwise be singed by the flames.

The dog knew all this and decided that it would be a very difficult job to get fire from humans. So the dog decided that he would just pretend to try to steal fire from humans but not really go through with it. But the dog knew that if he failed in the mission to get the fire, life with the wolves would be unbearable, and instead he decided he would just leave the wolves and go live with the humans.

The dog left the wolves' country and went through the forest to the Indian village. He saw smoke coming out of the smokeholes of the wigwams and went toward one of the houses. He stood in the doorway and looked inside, and realized that the hunters were not home: only the women and children were there. The people had always feared the wolves, so the dog decided that it would be good to show that he himself was afraid of the humans. So he lowered his tail and his head and looked up at the people with his eyes wide to show that he was afraid of them and crept over to the fire and lay down.

The dog was lucky, because the man who lived in the wigwam had often dreamed of wolves, and had in fact dreamed that he would receive a gift from the wolves. In his hunting, he had also appealed to the Wolf spirit and been assisted by it to feed his family. When he returned to the wigwam and saw the harmless wolf dog lying there by his fire, he decided to make friends with him. Remembering his dreams, the Indian man told the dog that they would be brothers forever, and to prove this he would take the dog as his companion when he went hunting for his family and share the meat that they got together.

When the wolves realized they had been tricked by the dog, they were angry and wanted to punish him. They thought and thought, how can we get close enough to dog? One wolf spoke up, "If we became human, we could go into the village and get dog, and some fire of our own!" The wolves agreed, howling to the Great Spirit to give them arms and skin and faces, and the spirits changed them. 

When they reached the village the people there saw them and took them in, gave them clothes and hot food to eat.

The wolves all but forgot about the dog, they had fire, they had food, and they had friends. 

But to this day, calling a beast a  _dog_ is one of the worst insults to their kind.

 

 

There are four packs lead by Conall; the Cipelahq, Hotomkam, Konianutqio and Kianna 

 

Cipelahq, or the Scary Eyes Pack is the smallest, with approximately 25 members. They are Bakairi and migrated from Brazil when their ancestors began to suffer violence, slavery and forced integration at the hands of invaders. A peaceful and self-sufficient pack they often split away from the larger Pack and stride out on their own. While of darker skin, the Cipelahq all have extremely brightly coloured eyes, ice-blue, gold, wintergreen, etc., and - unlike other north american indians - it is a sign of respect to hold intense eye-contact while their superior is speaking, whether wolves or humans. Many of them have a hard time integrating with other packs, much less the rest of the world - as strength is not so much respected as age; their pack leader Talin is the oldest beast in the pack - while he looks to be a spry late-sixties, his pack knew he was around for the migration of the Bakairi people in 1847. Most of the pack are dark skinned and shorter than the average human, their wolves have distinctly longer and thinner legs as well as a larger mane on their backs - they often are a medley of colours, not solid ones. 

Cipelahq's Luna is Evaki, she has been mated with Talin for 40 years. Evaki is human, light skinned, steel hair and dark eyes - the pack calls her the "sun-stealer" for how dark she gets in the summer time and how pale she goes in the winter. They had one child; Cole, who is now Talin's Beta. This was a controversial promotion, since Cole was born without a beast, he is fully human like his mother. It is assumed that when Talin dies, his Alpha position will be returned to the next oldest male in the pack. What will happen to Evaki and Cole remains to be seen.

Their main contribution to the Pack is their trading skill, in business with arms-dealers, governments, contractual work, etc. They are the ones who find the jobs for Specialty Teams, the ones who secure weapons and equipment for operations, and the ones who take the Pack's legal work. Before the Cipelahq's joined Conall's Pack, they were a nomadic pack that never stayed anywhere for too long. They would learn the language, learn the culture, and even infiltrate in the communities commerce sources with their trading of goods and knowledge. This gave their Specialty Team an edge. Nyx, currently in Venezuela, only contained 5 members - Thanatos, Erebus, Ker, Oizys, and Eris - but that was more than enough. This team is arguably the most adaptable and versatile out of the others. Each member can speak several languages fluently, they are all trained in capoeira, as well as other culturally strict fighting techniques, and have innate weapons and survival knowledge. 

_Pequeno, mas forte. -- Small, but strong._

 

Hotomkam, meaning Three Stars, is an all female pack made up of various cultures and ancestry. While theirs is a medium sized pack, their decisions are given much more weight than their size dictates. Females in the beast community are rare;

  * They must be positive that they have some Indian blood, no matter how diluted,
  * While conceiving a beast between a human mother and beast father is already a scarce occurrence - there are no female beasts born, the wolf gene is not compatible with the XX chromosome, and if there is a slim chance that the fetus carries to term, it is always a male - with only a infinitesimal chance it will become a beast; and
  * The violence of a transformation from human to beast is often too severe for a female to endure. Unlike males, who if transformed by scratch or bite heal and there is no indication of the wound, females are left with the scarring of their transformation. This often makes them imagine themselves so disfigured they feel unable to remain in human company - suicide rates are high among female beasts. 



Hotomkam's Alpha, Kachina, seeks to destroy the stigma around their transformations and empower female beasts to accept who they are. Kachina wears her scars proudly, the entirety of her arm exposed for all to see, white nail and teeth marks threading themselves from her fingertips up to her concave left jaw, destroyed in the attack on her by an unknown beast. Kachina was transformed all alone, and had no one to help her through the process - but does not let that become a part of her identity, she is an extremely proud and genuine woman, who leads her pack as if all the women inside it are her queens. Each one is worshipped by her and they exalt her in return.

One woman means more to Kachina than all the rest, her Beta Mai-Coh. The rumour is that Mai-Coh came to Kachina first, finding her during her first transformation, when her wounds had turned her mind into a ravaging place of fear and pain and her beast inside struggled to take over. Mai-Coh had approached her as a human, firstly trying to tend the injured woman before realizing what she was - when she did, she lay her hand on Kachina's head and transformed, willing the transformation through herself and into Kachina too. They had been together ever since, gathering all the lost and ostracized female wolves from other packs, until they had the Three Stars pack they have today. 

The Three Stars pack is a strong base for Conall, often they are in support of his policies and practices, and he always confers with them first on key issues within the Pack. These women's participation in the scientists studies are pivotal to the research as to why female beasts cannot conceive and carry offspring. Kachina herself is often Conall's left hand where Delta is his right; in fact if she had not been already occupied Conall would have sent her to collect Morrigan.

The Hotomkam are the Pack's foundation - they are women who occupy traditional and non-traditional roles within their home; cooking, facility maintenance, supply orders, health practitioners, emergency tactical and crisis management. But please don't mistake to think they are in the "homemaker" role - these women will not do your laundry for you, they will sew you up and tell you to stop being a little bitch and get back out there, maybe a beast broke down a door? They will hunt him down and watch him as he fixes it (usually knowing they themselves will redo it properly later on).

Mai-Coh provides something else entirely for the Pack, something many of them believed died with their ancestors. Mai-Coh was a Hopi Shaman, and in that brought with her all the medicine teachings from many of the indigenous regions other pack-members came from. Her soul has been said to be passed down from the first Hopi who met the Great Spirit and received the gift of peace and healing;

_Before the Great Spirit went into hiding, He and Mother Earth put before the leaders of the different groups of people many colours and sized of corn for them to choose their food in this world. The Hopi was the last to pick and then choose their food in this world. The Hopi then choose the smallest ear of corn. Then the Great Spirit said, "You have shown me you are wise and humble for this reason you will be called Hopi (people of peace) and I will place in your authority all land and life to guard, protect and hold trust for Me until I return to you in later days for I am the First and the Last."_

_This why when a Hopi is ordained into the higher religious order, the earth and all living things are placed upon their hands. They become a parent to all life on earth. They are entitled to advise and correct the children in whatever peaceful way they can. So we can never give up knowing that our message of peace will reach our children. Then it is together with the other spiritual leaders the destiny of our future children is placed. We are instructed to hold this world in balance within the land and the many universes with special prayers and ritual which continue to this day._

This makes her a strange "other" authority to the Pack, for she is not an Alpha, but many defer to her for her spiritual guidance, which she gladly supplies. With feathers braided in her hair and tattoos on her face and body, she looks every part the shaman from history - sometimes even prophesying events, which she only shares with the Alphas.

The Hotomkam pack has a specialty team that has been dubbed the Three Sisters, instead of the Three Stars. Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka were three sisters who were captured, held and transformed by an exceptionally evil Alpha that once had territory where Conall now reigns. The Alpha had made them strong, fed them raw meat while they were human, forced them to fight each other, to learn new and different ways of hurting each other. When the sisters had been close to hatching their plan of escape and murdering the deranged Alpha, he returned as a berserk beast and tore into the sisters. They all fought back, landing many a blow on him, but three humans against a beast was not fair. With her last ounce of strength Mintaka pulled a dislodged tooth of the beast's from her fallen sister's breast and drove it in behind the Alpha's ribs, over and over into his soft belly and up to his insides until they spilled out of him. Then, she died.

All three had awoken in the research facility - confused and in pain. Conall had come in with Kachina and tried to explain everything that had happened. He was devastated he had not rescued them sooner; the Pack had been watching that beast's territory for some time, waiting for him to either accept their terms or leave. They had no idea there had been hostages in the Alpha's property, only that he was a lone beast that had no pack and wished to never join one.

Conall begged their forgiveness, and they accepted warily. Kachina, realizing they were terrified, had asked Conall to leave - he trusted her enough not to ask why - and began the lengthy process of giving these women the explanation she had never had. All three joined her pack the next day.

_'So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.' - Chief Tecumseh_

 

Konianutqio was already an extremely strong pack when they integrated with Conall's. It took months upon months of negotiation and compromise to get the Cheyenne group to join them. But at 40 individuals, all some of the best fighters Conall had ever seen - the negotiation had been worth it.  Of all the typical Plains tribes, the Cheyenne were most distinguished for warlike qualities. Few in number, they overcame or held in check most of the peoples who opposed them, and when the westward movement of European civilization began, they made more trouble than all the rest combined. In short, they were preeminently warriors among peoples whose trade was war, and the highest regarded warriors among these were the Dog Soldiers. Konianutqio, or Wolf Warriors, were the infamous descendants of the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers.

All of the pack members in Konianutquio took on a Cheyenne name when they became part of the pack, whether they were human or beast, male or female. It was a tradition and sign of respect to their elders and ancestors - and a token of pride throughout their ranks. Easier still to distinguish them from the rest of Conall's packs were their appearances; while other beasts have mixed heritage and different skin colours the Wolf Warriors were all tan-skinned, brown eyed, black haired individuals. They believed in keeping their lineage strong, and displaying that strength with their appearances - mainly their hair, which was grown long on almost every member. The Konianutqio prided themselves on their hair, for it could only be cut by the one who bested them in a fight. Not one of them had hair shorter than their shoulder blades. 

The individual with the longest hair was the pack's Luna, Aquene. She was a tall and elegant woman, and often braided her hair up so others were not intimidated by it's length. But when it came to a challenge, one pin came out and it all tumbled down. Aquene liked to joke that her hair was longer than her husbands because he had refused to marry her at first, so she had to fight him, and defeat him, so he would be hers. Roman, the Alpha, would role his eyes and indulgently smile at her - but the look of love they shared showed it was a match made of love, not power.

Dull Knife was named after his great-grandfather, who was a great Cheyenne hero and chief in the late 1860's; 

 _It was the custom in those days for the older men to walk ahead of the moving caravan and decide upon all halts and camping places. One day the councilors came to a grove of wild cherries covered with ripe fruit, and they stopped at once. Suddenly a grizzly charged from the thicket. The men yelped and hooted, but the bear was not to be bluffed. He knocked down the first warrior who dared to face him and dragged his victim into the bushes._ _The whole caravan was in the wildest excitement. Several of the swiftest-footed warriors charged the bear, to bring him out into the open, while the women and dogs made all the noise they could. The bear accepted the challenge, and as he did so, the man whom they had supposed dead came running from the opposite end of the thicket._

_The Indians were delighted, and especially so when in the midst of their cheers, the man stopped running for his life and began to sing a Brave Heart song as he approached the grove with his butcher knife in his hand. He would dare his enemy again!_

_The grizzly met him with a tremendous rush, and they went down together. Instantly the bear began to utter cries of distress, and at the same time the knife flashed, and he rolled over dead. The warrior was too quick for the animal; he first bit his sensitive nose to distract his attention, and then used the knife to stab him to the heart._

_He fought many battles with knives thereafter and claimed that the spirit of the bear gave him success. On one occasion, however, the enemy had a strong buffalo-hide shield which the Cheyenne bear fighter could not pierce through, and he was wounded; nevertheless he managed to dispatch his foe. It was from this incident that he received the name of Dull Knife, which was handed down to his descendants._

Legends of his ancestor aside, Dull Knife had put much of his fighting behind him. He enjoyed the simple things, yet manful, and devoid of selfish aims, or love of gain, he is called "a pattern for heroes of any race" by his pack now. Dull Knife was a leader of the old school. Among all the Indians of the plains, nothing counts save proven worth. A man's caliber is measured by his courage, unselfishness and intelligence. 

Unfortunately his Beta was quite the opposite. Much like the story of the two wolves, Roman Nose was Dull Knife's opposite. Roman Nose was also named after another Cheyenne warrior, one that never became a chief but was glorified in so many stories, that Roman often thought they were about him. 

Where Dull Knife was truth, Roman was lies, kindness - arrogance, benevolence - false pride, superiority and ego.

The Konianutqio knew this, and like the story they chose to feed into whoever benefited the entire Pack at the time. The Konianutqio were fiercely loyal, and once they had been absorbed by the Pack, they became the main protectors for everyone within it. If they felt threatened and Dull Knife was suggesting peace and Roman war, whoever their pack judged to be the safest and most favourable for the entire group gained their support and thus the upper hand.

The Alpha and Beta's struggles with each other were never interceded upon or encouraged on either side by their Specialty Team; the Tsistsistas. These six individuals were named after the six-military "states" the Cheyenne created within themselves; Kit-Fox, Red Shield, Crazy Dog, Crooked Lance, Bow String (sometimes called the Unbroken), and Hotam Itaneo.

These six beasts were the biggest and baddest of them all. Not only did the reputation of their names proceed them, but they strictly adhered to the Dog Soldier code - Vow of Silence, Abstinence, Obedience and Honour. All six wore their tactical uniforms along with the symbolic (yet fully functional) "dog-ropes" wrapped around their wrists or ankles or hips. A dog rope was just that, a strong rope, usually made out of tanned skin with a picket-pin tied to one end. Historically the pin was driven into the ground as a mark of resolve in combat. When a Dog Soldier was staked to the ground in order to cover the retreat of his companions, he was required to remain there even if death was the consequence. The Dog Man could pull the pin from the ground _only_ if his companions reached safety or another Dog Soldier released him from his duty, otherwise he died where he had placed his pin. 

_Vé'-néhnetame o'ne'é. -- Do not give up a step._

 

The Kainai was Alpha Conall's pack, he named it from the tribe his ancestors descended from - the Blackfoot Nation Blood Tribe in lower Alberta, Canada. His people called them selves the  _Akáínaa_ \- the people of Many Chiefs; fitting for an Alpha of other Alphas.

The Blood Tribe Pack was small, other than the other alphas and their specialty teams his pack consisted of himself and his own Specialty Team a.k.a St. Alpha. If any of the other three packs chose to leave his pack would be drastically reduced - not that Conall would mind, he had had no intention of running a pack when he came down here, but here he was, with four. 

Conall was thankful for his specialty team, they assisted him as if they were all his Beta's, and Delta did not mind either - if anything he was happy to have some weight off his shoulders as well. 

Delta had been Conall's friend since before he had ever left Canada, in fact they had served together, in what felt like a lifetime ago. They had served together at the youngest age you could enter the army - in fact it was so long ago that the Canadian Army was still called the Colonial Militia. Delta and Conall had instantly known the other was a beast, and been fast friends after that. They aged so slowly that they were able to re-enlist over and over again, in the Canadian or US armies, navies, air-forces, etc., serving almost 30 tours of duty between the both of them. This is where Conall had learned his military training and had been able to adapt it to train the beasts he now lead like the Platoon Sergeant he was.

Delta had been the one to contact him thirteen years ago asking for help in Washington state. Conall had not kept in touch after their last tour together - it had been especially brutal, the suffering, the extremism and hate. Conall had felt something break inside him, and knew he would never be able to serve again. That was the last Delta had heard from him. In that time Delta had found a mate and joined a pack that was being studied by a faction in the US government; paranormal cryptozoologist intermediary experts. These scientists were interested in studying beasts individually, but were beginning to find discrepancies between their distribution of geography. The initial pack being studied, the Cipelahq, were getting anxious that the scientists were going to bring around other packs, ones that might easily overpower and assimilate their own. Zeta, Delta's mate, had expressed her worry for her pack, and Delta had known just who to call. 

When Conall had arrived, Delta had sensed something different about him, he had absolutely grown into his Alpha status and Delta was immediately compelled to show his throat and ask to join his pack. 

"What pack?" Conall had said wearily. Delta was shocked Conall had not felt the change within himself, he had to sense how badly Delta's knees wanted to bend and force him onto the ground in submission. His mere presence was oppressive and commanding. 

"Turn that off!" Delta whipped around and saw his small mate with her hands on her hips, glaring up at Conall from behind him. Her chin was lifted, but Delta could tell she was feeling the Alpha pressure too as her head was slightly tilted to show her throat. "Now!" She barked. Air flooded the room as if there had been a vacuum crushing around their bodies and it had finally burst. Delta felt as if his chest was heaving, the movement of Conall's body suggested he felt it too.

"Now I know why you haven't seen another beast since me -" Delta chuckled, accepting the hand up to his feet from his mate, "It's no goddamn wonder with that Alpha-shit pulsing out of your dumbass."

"Eloquent as always, Del." Conall looked woozy and let his body drop to the floor in an uncultured slump. He ran his hands through his shaggy hair and looked up at the pair. "Is this what I've been putting off all these years? I'm exhausted - what was I doing?! How did _she_ turn it off?"

Delta smiled and looked at his little mate, still with a scowl on her face.

"She has her ways."

And that's how the little pack of three started.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, who loved Great Grandpappy Dull Knife's story as much as me?? I was seriously leaning forward in my seat the first time I read it!  
> You can find more about him here; http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-dullknife.html


	12. Zakizo - She Catches Fire

Morrigan was burning up. She could feel the sheen of sweat on her skin, prickling in the cool night air. Her breath was coming in short bursts and pants and she could feel a deep blush, blooming it's way across her skin. 

His fingers were slick with her, in between her moans and gasps she could hear the obscene sound of his hand between her legs. He was going slow - too damn slow! Morrigan had thrown off the covers, hoping seeing the act in progress would get her over that final precipice - but he anticipated it and slowed even further, allowing the heat inside her to snap and writhe in frustration and longing. Her hands were fisting in the sheets, she dare not grab him, fearing he would stop altogether. This was a game to him, she knew he was smirking, she could feel his enjoyment permeating the air around her. At her groan of frustration she felt his breathy chuckle float over her damp skin - she wished his other hand were on her too...

His thumb circled her clit, gently, almost as if it were by accident - Morrigan sucked in a gasp, shutting her eyes tight and mentally willing him to do it again. He did, this time thoughtfully, circling and spiralling her into a tense bundle of nerves - she was so close, her limbs were vibrating as she arched her back driving his finger deeper inside her as his thumb worked over her in a growing flurry. 

Yes - _yes_ , she could see the end, feel it fast approaching as fireworks began to happen behind her eyes.

She woke with a start, breathing heavily as if she had just ran hurdles. She gasped - upright suddenly and bare of the heat that had her so enraptured. Her core throbbed at being denied her climax - her body obviously not caring that it had all been in her head. Morrigan looked around, finding Conall sleeping on his stomach, face buried in a pillow with his hands underneath it.  _Damn those hands._  

She staggered up and out of the bed, her gelatin legs made her feel like a newborn colt taking it's first steps. She made it to the bathroom, where she shut the door and leaned against it in the dark, trying to regain control of her bursting lungs. Flipping on the switch she almost didn't recognize the figure illuminated in the mirror. 

Her hair was tousled, and lips were swollen, but the most unrecognizable part of her were her eyes. She stared at herself trying to pick out what was different about them. They had a wild look, as if she were being hunted - but her pupils were blown wide - she enjoyed being chased. 

_After seeing Makade, Conall had kissed her, so deeply she thought her lips would bruise, but she gave as good as she got, and the sharp little hiss he had made when she took his bottom lip between her teeth had been extremely satisfying. He had picked her up then, letting her wrap her legs around his waist as he walked them over towards the bed. Morrigan felt her dress ride up her thighs, dangerously close to exposing her apex to his skin. With one arm around her waist, and the other clutched in her hair, he fell backwards onto the bed. They laughed as they bounced, and continued to as she tried to get her legs out from behind him. When her legs were out and her knees planted on either side of his hips the laughter gradually stopped. Conall looked up at her with soft eyes, and brought his hand to the side of her face. Morrigan had felt powerful above him, the woman atop the beast, and let the thrill of it run through her as she leaned down to teasingly nip at Conall's jaw._

_The resulting groan torn out of his chest was intoxicating, it made Morrigan's head swim and a pool of warmth settle low in her belly. He began kissing the column of her throat, down to her shoulder - trailing hot open mouthed kisses across her skin. She could feel how hard he was for her through the thin material of her dress, snug against her wet heat. She needed to hear him make that sound again. She rolled her hips, experimentally, delighting in the friction it caused between their bodies, it was something she had never experienced before, she felt like light was shining out of her skin. Morrigan sat up, intending to do it again, but felt hard hands come around her waist, and lift her up - as if she weighed nothing - only to put her down on the bed beside him. She looked at him wordlessly, confusion written on her flushed face. Conall merely stood up, and walked out of the room, the sound of the apartment door closing behind him seconds later._

_Morrigan's mind was spinning - she had no capacity left to think of what could have happened, all her mind could conjure up was how good it had felt to be with Conall like that. She had waited some time, busying herself changing and taking another shower. Before lying on the bed in an oversized t-shirt of Conall's and staring at the ceiling._

Still staring in the mirror, Morrigan knew what her eyes were conveying - she was awakened to the woman inside herself, and oh so ready to let her take the reins.

Smiling with this newfound empowerment, Morrigan turned off the light, and returned to her bed - but not before taking off her drenched panties and hanging them on the doorknob of the bathroom; her passive aggressive hope that he would see them and succumb to her. She looked at her side of the bed, not wanting to return to the now-cold sheets, damp and crumpled from her dream-activity. The bed was big, and Conall had not moved an inch, so she climbed into his side of the bed and tucked herself into his body tight  - he sleepily moved a small amount towards the centre of the bed - pulling the covers over herself, anticipating the morning to come. 

* * *

 

As Conall closed the door behind him, every fiber in his body was urging him to go back into the apartment, where his little mate had just incensed him beyond repair. The sweet, hot grind of her hips over him was forever burned in his memory now.

He shook his head, he had to get away, clear his mind. How had he let it get so far? He was glad for the darkness as he silently padded out of the house, not looking back until he made it to the treeline in the courtyard. The light from his bedroom was still on. Turning away he phased and started a slow pace, planning on doing a perimeter check. 

The heady scent of Morrigan's arousal had overwhelmed him, lulled him into the soft passion she was wrapping around him. He had been kissing her neck when she had moved, that one, devastating little move of her hips - electricity had jolted through his system at the feeling of it, and he had unwittingly clamped down on her shoulder, marking her.

She had not noticed a thing and when she sat up Conall could clearly see the imprint he had made on her skin.  _Fuck_ _._ What had he done? He removed her from him and exited as quickly as possible.

Conall's Beast caught the scent of the perimeter guards and strode further out still, planning on doing a wider scan, maybe twice. That should give Morrigan enough time to fall asleep.

 _Brother,_ The Beast finally broke the tense silence between them,  _You should not have marked her yet._

"I know. It was an accident..." He felt the animal's eyes roll, a very human reaction. 

_She does not know about mating or imprinting or anything yet - now you have marked her before she even understands what she is getting into._

Conall acquiesced, feeling the burden of his mistake through both of their bodies.

 _The Pack will see her tomorrow and know she is yours._ The Beast conjured up the image of her above Conall, looking down on them both, their mark on her shoulder.  _That is the one good thing._  

Conall had to agree, the mark being there started shifting the glowing embers inside him, sparking something altogether too predatory. The mark would be a bruise for a few days, then turn white over time, much like a scar it would be extremely sensitive, and Morrigan would have slight discomfort covering it with clothing.

"We're lucky they were my teeth and not yours," he mused - tasting his mates blood would have been an entirely different story.  

The Beast chose not to acknowledge that, and turned west to continue his circuit around their territory.

 _How will you tell her?_  

"No one will trust her if she isn't my mate. That she'll be viewed as an outsider if she doesn't pretend to be mine?" Conall trailed off, it was a weak and cowardly way to approach the issue, even saying it made him wince.

 _That is the worst idea I have ever heard._ His Beast did not beat around the bushes.

"What would you do then?!" when his Beast had no answer he continued, "It's too soon - it's been a day - there's no way I can drop this at her door." His Beast began the southern stretch of the perimeter. "I- I can wait until after the scientists explain us to her, then she'll be able to understand."

The Beast agreed - minutely. He was anxious to get back to his mate, whether she knew she was his or not. He had been waiting far too long to be reacquainted with her. _Gizhe-manidoo,_ the time he had missed with her, how he was only living off the memories of her scent, hearing her laughter through his human's dull and deaf ears. The peal of it ringing though him, after hearing it from her in person, invigorated him like a strike of lightening to his soul.

 

He had not meant to scare his mate - _niwiiw_ he thought longingly - but as soon as the car door had opened, a dam opened and spilled her scent for any wolf to slaver over for a mile radius. His jaw had slackened as he raised his head, better catching her essence on the sparse wind that night. His lungs drew in of her so deeply they ached against his ribs - the howl he produced was like something out of a myth - so long and loud it was, he felt the air shudder around him. It was the howl that woke his sleeping _shkatay -iikaan._

He raced, digging his claws deep into the fall mulch and the cold dirt beneath. The Pack was closing in around him - tuning into the thoughts of the ones closest to him. He had refused to communicate with them once his Brother had fallen silent - but that did not mean he was not listening. It was hard to comprehend, the loyalty that these beasts showed the wounded man inside of him. Makade knew of the harshness his wild cousins endured - 'alpha' was not a title respected when living off the land, an animal that could not teach and provide for it's family was abandoned and a replacement was sought.

Makade knew he was the only one thinking that way, because he was different. He was the only one of his kind, he knew none of the others in the Pack had the duality of two souls contending for power. The only time these wolves were truly free was when the human mind was broken beyond repair and vacated the body of the beast left behind - leaving only instinct, like their smaller cousins in the wild. The human soul inside _him_ would never vacate - just sleep, as he did when inside Conall.

_He's approaching too fast._

_Xi! Tau! Flank Phi - he hasn't phased yet, warn him!_

_Alpha! Don't do this!_

Makade let their thoughts go unanswered - he knew these wolves would not and could not stop him from getting to his mate. He could not wait to see her with his own eyes, _finally_.

A wolf appeared in his path - he didn't care who it was, dodging them easily. The clearing broke open before him and he was able to see the mansion with a car parked out front. She was still covered from him - he could see forms on the other side of the vehicle foggily through the windows. Two wolves were approaching him quickly from either side of the lot, he knew who they were, he had trained them; one would go up to block a jump and the other would snap below preventing a duck. 

**_Ishkwaataa!_ **

Conall issued the command. Both wolves stopped in their tracks, not but five paces in front of Makade. _Many thanks for joining me_ he spoke inside himself to his skin-brother, finally awake and as alert as he was. He loped past them and sprang onto the car roof. He ignored the pack mates in front of him, small in comparison, as he raked the front of the mansion with his gaze. Brown eyes met his and widened. 

Makade had been waiting for those eyes his entire life.

Someone was pulling her away from him. He knew the person, he knew she was good, but at that moment he wanted to crush her head between his jaws. No one was going to take his mate away from him. 

He jumped over the remaining wolves and sprinted to them, snarling as they made it to the door and slipped inside, slamming it in his face. Rage boiled inside him - not being able to see her was like his eyes being ripped from his skull. It took only three impacts of his large body into the flimsy barrier to crack it down; but she was still nowhere to be seen. He rushed in, where had she gone? What had they done with her??

A small noise above alerted him to her presence on the landing. The stairs would take too long to get to her - he was done wasting precious moments of his time without her in his sight.

He leapt to the banister and made his way onto the landing. He knew she felt fear upon seeing him - but this could not stop him. Fear was a good thing to have, he was not afraid of her fear; he knew it would leave her. He tried to convey this to her, his eyes imploring her to see. 

"Conall?"

* * *

 

Conall returned - having done four circuits - to see the light in their room finally turned off. The Beast loped up the entrance stairs and phased in the atrium. Conall stood for a moment, listening. All was quiet. He padded softly to a hallway leading underneath the stairs and entered the door immediately to his right. The Operations Room was glowing blue from the multiple computer and projection screens displaying their live feed from the Specialty Team out in the field. There were only a handful of people working HQ at this time of night, Venezuela was three hours ahead and Nyx Team wouldn't be doing any fieldwork other than monitoring their perimeter at midnight. Conall approached the group quietly, a few turned and nodded at him before he reached the acting supervisor, Cole - the Beta from the Scary Eyes pack, Cipelahq - who gave him a prompt status update. Conall nodded curtly and exited, not having said a word. 

Stopping outside his apartment door he could hear Morrigan's soft breathing from where he stood - the slow, rhythmic sounds - drawing him to her. He opened and closed the door silently, coming to stand beside the bed as he looked down at her - his little mate. Her hair was messy and tangled across the pillow, her lips slightly parted, a small hand resting under one of her cheeks, the other reaching out towards his side of the bed, only meeting empty air.

Conall lifted her hand, and slid into the covers beside her, he settled himself, watching Morrigan's face so that he did not wake her. Her small hand was still cradled in his big one, he lifted it to his lips, pressed a kiss to her palm and let her fingers trail over his cheek and nose. She made a soft noise and rolled her head in her sleep and Conall bit off a silent curse - even that smallest of noises had him hardening! He flipped onto his stomach, hiding his growing shame as he tried to shut out all his thoughts and gain some rest.

He felt as if his eyes were only closed a moment when a short gasp dropped from Morrigan's lips as if pulled right out of his dreams. Then there was silence - had he imagined it?

Another, louder gasp, followed by a lengthy sigh. Conall opened his eyes and looked over at the woman beside him - she was moving, slowly now, pushing the covers off herself. A breathy moan escaped her and Conall found himself helping her taking the covers off before he knew what he was doing. She was stretching, arching her back, digging her head into the pillow, all the while huffing and tugging at the sheet underneath her. Conall was fixated, his jaw slack and his mouth dry - his hands itched to touch her and alleviate the tension he had left them both with when he exited.

"Connie-" His body was up and hovering over hers before her lips finished his name. His arms braced on either side of her, one leg between hers, still so careful not to touch her or wake her from whatever delicious dream he could imagine she was having. Gods he wished he was in her head right now - he leaned closer, his arms trembling with the strain of holding himself above her - the next sigh she breathed out he breathed in, tasting her gasps and moans. Morrigan's feet dug into the mattress beneath them, one of her hands clenching into the large t-shirt of his she wore - it dragged up from her thighs and over her hips; Conall watched it's rise and bit his lip so hard he thought he drew blood when her floral underwear came into view.

Fuck, she was wet. She was wet and dreaming about him.

She groaned in frustration and the breath left his lungs like someone had punched him in the gut. Conall licked his lips, feeling predatory above her; if he could chase inside Morrigans mind and find what she was imagining him doing to her he -

His shirt slipped off her shoulder and Conall could clearly see the mark he had left on her, beginning to bloom dark red and purples where he had bitten her. His heart clenched, he pulled away from her, recoiling physically from the mental pain seeing it caused him. The conversation they would have to have weighed heavily on him as he placed himself farther away from the woman still writhing beside him. He lay again on his stomach, seeking the pressure of his bed to alleviate the roiling desire in him, and imprisoned his twitching hands underneath the pillow, should they try to wander.

Morrigan was breathing faster, crying out louder, starting to pulse with heat beside him. Conall didn't know if there was any crueller torture in the world. He was sure she was close, ready to implode beside him when she gasped awake and sat up suddenly. Conall stopped the slow rolling of his hips and slammed his eyes shut, praying she would not notice how fast and deep he was breathing - inhaling the intoxicating scent of her. 

With a frustrated sigh she got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Conall waited a few moments before reaching over to her side, feeling the sweat-soaked covers and the residual heat of her burning skin sinking in to the fabric. He took a deep breath of her scent, the clean sweat and the heady aroma of the slick between her legs - his cock throbbed - it was harder than he had ever remembered. This was a brink he had never been on the edge of, he knew the smallest thing would push him over, but he would hold on as long as he possibly could, for Morrigan's sake... even if she was the one doing the pushing. 

As she was literally doing at this moment. He had been distracted and now felt her crawling in beside him, nudging him towards the middle of the bed, then towards her side - he was straining trying not to touch the wet patches she left behind - his control frayed and tearing. Morrigan stopped moving, pressed along his side tightly, where she gave a small sigh and slowly began relaxing into sleep.

Conall could feel the cooling patches of fabric beneath him, he was sliding over a particularly damp patch - he couldn't stop himself grinding into it - knowing it was the slick he dreamed of having all over his cock was driving him mad. Morrigan was again back in a deep sleep - this time no dreams of him tormenting her - just her body and her juices tormenting him, spreading all over his conscience mind. He could smell she had left her underwear in the bathroom, that there was nothing protecting her delicious wet-heat from him -  _fuck_ \- that sent him over the edge, spilling himself onto the same sheets she had marred with her body. 

Breathing heavily he tried to hide his gasps by burying his face into the pillow - only succeeding in submerging himself further into Morrigan, the scent of her shampoo bleeding through the cotton as he greedily breathed it up, trying to absorb all of her. 

He shifted away from the mess he had made, only finding the flesh and blood body of Morrigan pressed tightly to that side. Accepting his fate he circled an arm over her stomach, pulling his body flush with hers, allowing himself this one decadent, indulgence before the morning came. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course my longest chapter yet is also the smuttiest (so far) haha. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought! xo


	13. Jibwah Nongo - Before Today

Conall was gone when she woke, the sun already high over the trees and spilling into the apartment. Morrigan huffed out a breath loudly through her nose and rested a hand over her eyes, frustrated beyond belief. Not only had she woken throughout the night, but when she _did_ sleep she was haunted with the memory of his touch. Gritting her teeth she stood, hoping to shake off her exhaustion with a brisk wash of her face. 

As she splashed water over her self and reached for her scrub, she felt a twinge in her shoulder.  _I must have slept on it funny_ she thought to herself as she lathered and rinsed, padding her face dry in a soft towel. She turned to leave the washroom, hitting the lights and pulling the door closed behind her.

She went to the bed and pulled off the sheets, bundling them into the corner of the room as she found a fresh set in a pull-out drawer underneath the mattress. Once the bed was remade she walked into the bathroom intending to gather the towels and any clothes she had left after her last night's shower. Morrigan felt as if she was forgetting something, but shrugged and found a laundry chute hidden in the hallway that she stuffed all the dirty items down into.

Dusting her hands off she looked around, she had not really had a chance to be in the apartment alone, other than last night, and she had definitely not been in the right frame of mind to do some exploring. Morrigan entered the walk-in closet first, running her fingers along the rows and rows of bagged clothes. Choosing one at random she pulled the garment bag out and placed it on one of the waiting hooks before unzipping the bag. Inside was a short dress, dripping with beaded fringes and dark lace. Morrigan couldn't place what kind of fashion this was. Hanging off the neck of the wire hanger was a small head-band, beaded the same way along the black lace...  _This looks like a flapper's costume, something someone would have worn in the 1920's... But no one would put so much intricate work into a costume. Why is it here?_

Morrigan zipped the bag back up and replaced the dress where she had found it. Something was unsettling her about seeing the dress, she wasn't sure she wanted to look through the closet anymore. She went to her bags and found a simple tank top and shorts she could wear. When she came out of the closet she ran a hand over her sore shoulder, rolling and stretching it as she made her way to the next room. The front sitting room was plain, it made Morrigan sad looking at the sparsely decorated walls and shelves - there were a few books and maps, but they definitely weren't there for aesthetics's sake. She continued through the room towards the closed door near the windows, wondering what was behind it. Morrigan was about to reach for the handle when a knock came from the front doors, startling her into jumping. 

Letting out a frustrated breath at herself for getting so easily surprised, she jogged over to the door and opened it. Zeta was standing on the other side, her hands dutifully behind her back and a blank look on her face. Her gaze flicked to something over Morrigans shoulder then back, the blank mask briefly slipping to show - what? Alarm? Fear?

Morrigan looked over her shoulder to the empty apartment and looked back at Zeta, her confusion clearly evident.

"Sorry," the other woman started, "I should have said 'hi' or 'good morning' or something - I must be out of it." she raised a hand nervously and scratched the back of her head, her mouth turning into an awkward smile. Morrigan laughed, it was a weird encounter, but she had to say it was the most human one she had experienced since being here.

"It's okay, do you want to come in?" Zeta shook her head and smiled, genuinely this time. 

"No, I just came to see if the Alpha was awake yet. He asked me to come get him before the morning briefing."

"He's not here." Morrigan could not stop the disappointment from colouring her words. She would never admit this, but she resented him. Resented the fact that he had obviously thrived without her, built a life for himself, where she had stayed rooted and small. Morrigan knew it was the fear of abandonment that fuelled her anger, but she could not shake the feeling that if Conall left her again, he would stay on his feet, and she would crumble into ash and scatter in the wind.

"Yes I am." The voice came from directly behind her and startled Morrigan so badly she jumped again - why was she so skittish today?

She turned and Conall brushed past her into the hallway, when Morrigan looked back she saw the office door ajar; had he been in there the whole time?

"Are you coming?" Conall asked coolly and nodded his head towards the atrium when she looked at him. 

Morrigan just nodded, closing the door behind her and following Zeta and Conall. At first Zeta tried to walk behind Morrigan, but it soon got awkward with Morrigan turning around and trying to walk beside Zeta instead of in front of her. Conall rolled his eyes and sent a pointed look towards Zeta, making her scurry up to walk beside him, leaving Morrigan behind.

Zeta whispered low enough for Morrigan not to hear; "What the hell was that? She's your marked mate, my superior, I should not be walking before her."

Conall didn't react immediately, but hissed back "She doesn't know."

"Still? It's been two days - how do you expect to keep her here if you aren't open with her?"

The deep growl that vibrated from Conalls chest did not reach Zeta's ears but she felt it in the air and in the way the hair rose along the back of her neck. She dropped the subject and tilted her head down and away - exposing her throat in submission. She knew she was the only person that could push Conall's buttons like this - although the subject of Morrigan was taboo ground to be treading on. And now that Morrigan was here, Zeta hoped she would not have to continue being the one to keep shoving and prying Conall's emotions out of him to the brink of them both snapping and growling at each other.

They had finished their trek down the atrium stairs and went towards the hallway underneath the landing. Morrigan's curiosity was piqued - the large wooden double-doors had been invisible to her the other times she had been here, but now that they were approaching them she admired it openly. There were intricate carvings in the wood of beautiful cyclical trees, the branches growing into the roots, _trees of eternal life_. The iron hinges groaned when Conall pushed them open, the slow swinging of them landed hollowly on the walls of the room they lead into.

Morrigan didn't know if she was still dreaming - This room was like something out of a fantasy movie; it was large, as tall as the atrium and long, leading all the way back into the forest behind the mansion. The architect must have loved the forest, as the entire back wall of the room were windows, angled out like a greenhouse with double-doors open to the brisk fall breeze outside. Leaves rushed in with every soft gust, they parted around an intricate horned-throne with a cushion resting in the cradle of the biggest moose antler's Morrigan had ever seen.

She was instantly reminded of the chair Conall had made for her father - sitting in his workshop at home, where he spent his free time with his whittling hobby. Morrigan smiled and bit her lip when she saw it, wondering what her father would look like in this intricate seat.

There was a large cushion sitting beside the throne, Zeta parted from them and stood beside Delta on the right side of the raised dais. Conall took the two steps up and sat with a grace Morrigan thought only Makade had. She watched with open - frustrated - admiration, standing in front of the throne and realized suddenly there were other people in the room, watching her standing there not knowing what to do or how to act.

Conall caught her eye, glanced down at the cushion on the floor, then back to her - no emotion in his gaze. Morrigan was disgusted. "You want me to sit on the floor, in front of you, like I'm part of your fucking harem?!"

The Alpha's and Beta's were so silent Morrigan's whisper reverberated throughout the room - they had no trouble hearing her, even in human form their hearing was so enhanced, that if Morrigan had said nothing they would have heard her jaw grinding.

To Conall's credit he did not react - merely blinked, stood up, and silently offered his seat to Morrigan - before walking over to the cushion and sitting down.

"May we begin?" he asked, ice in his tone. Morrigan was mortified. Who was this man? How could this be Conall, the one who had kissed her last night and wrapped his arms around her in his sleep?!

She blinked back angry tears that had sprung to her eyes, and made as if to walk towards the throne - she skirted around it to the double doors and into the forest. Only a run would calm her down from the raging, sickened fury boiling in her gut. She did not care she was barefoot and had on too little clothing for the autumn weather; let the cold drive her and the pricks in her feet take away from the pain in her chest.

Conall did not watch but listened to her disappear into the wood - he glanced at Lambda in the back in the room, the blonde woman nodded and exited through the double doors behind her. A white wolf trotted silently through the woods behind the meeting, intent on Morrigan's trail.

Kachina spoke up from he dais' left side, "Alpha, is this gathering null without your mate in attendance?"

Conall cleared his throat, resting an elbow on a raised knee before looking out on his pack, "No - please begin." He knew they saw the mark, knew she was his mate - that was enough to keep her safe, for now.

Discussions began, weekly updates where all the Alpha's, Beta's, their mates and any Specialty Teams that could make it all joined to share what progress and projects their packs were working on. Conall's mind drifted; _Tell her now and possibly scare her away? Or tell her later and risk losing her?_

Makade did not engage, he was wary, tapped into Lambda's thoughts as she followed Morrigan through the woods.

New missions were discussed and either agreed to or discarded - if there was not unanimous agreement a request was immediately discarded; Conall had implemented this so that there was never any 'two against one' pressuring one Alpha into agreeing to a mission they did not feel safe engaging in. 

Next were new wolves introduced to the packs. Oftentimes the pack that discovered a new beast immediately claimed them, although when four packs were in as such a small region as the Wenatchee Forest, none could be sure what "triggered" the beast's sudden change. Transformations could be initiated under a many different circumstance; biting/scratching with the intention to transform, a large enough threat nearby that calls to the individual's Indian/Beast blood, or a deeply buried beast gene becoming activated (usually by the close proximity of other beasts).

In the event that a new beast surfaced in the area, they were located by the least scarred of the Three Star's pack [the honourary "welcoming committee"] and brought to the meetings as a way to introduce them to the Pack as well as choose which faction they would like to join.

The Konianutqio immediately lay claim to anyone they sense with Cheyenne blood, any indication of another Dog Soldier meant that much stronger of a pack.

Hotomkam were always gifted the female beasts who arose - few and far between, but worth it to the entire Beast community; the more women who were able to learn about their new selves with a tight-knit support network meant more and more survivors; resulting in a decline in their suicide rates.

The Cipelahq were satisfied with their numbers - they were fine being small, and liked their closed ranks. They were mainly accepting of young beasts (less rivals for the hierarchy), and any with South American blood ties. Otherwise they were content to let the other packs argue over the newcomers.

If the beasts were too overwhelmed or frightened to choose Conall temporarily accepted them into his pack. The _terrifying_ Blood Tribe liked to jokingly describe themselves as a 'practice-pack'; this was for the new beast's benefit, with less than a dozen members the Kianna was the smallest pack, the new Beast only had those voices to deal with when phased, and was fostered into their new lives with a family that understood their needs.

Conall enjoyed the experience of new members, often he felt so connected to them he decided to keep them. His foster fails became his pack, and soon-after became part of his Specialty Team;

Zeta had joined out of love for Delta, Phi followed his cousin soon after. Phillip had already felt like an outsider among the Cipelahq; to them anyone over 5'8" was already a distinguishing trait, and being 6'8" made him look even more the outcast from his pack. Phillip did not respect age either; he knew strength was more important, and had been itching to challenge the Alpha, no matter whether the rest of the Cipelahq would support him or not. He was a horse chomping at the bit of his rider and Talin knew it wouldn't be long before he would have to put the pup down. Conall gladly took the eager beast into his fold - any relative of Zeta was welcomed with open arms, and the "pup's" imagination kept Conall constantly on his toes. It was invigorating to have this new, unruly blood, part of his family.

Xi and Tau, who looked as if they didn't have a drop of Indian blood in them, had come from China, visiting Vancouver on what was supposed to be an international student transfer, had phased within hours of landing on Canadian soil. The twins ran blindly for days through the Rockies before being found - Conall himself had discovered them on one of his crazed treks North. They won his heart when they told him the story of their names - their mother had died giving birth to them, so their father had named them Tau and Xi; the Chinese characters for Path and Hope. In Conall's desperate attempts to run towards Morrigan's location he had literally found the path to hope in front of him.

Kappa had joined Conall as soon as she saw him. When the Three Stars, Hotomkam Pack, had been introduced to the resident groups by the scientists - Kappa, her true name Tora, had walked past her Beta, Alpha and pack to kneel in front of him. Conall recognized the significance of her actions, but the weight of her mind and aura permeated his being so violently that he did not know if he would be able to accept her or not. Makade could not stand the taste of her near him, and he knew Tora felt the same; her _type_ of transformation was rare and it coloured her entire being.

Tora, born Victoria to a distant mother and a lecherous father in the darkest slum and harlem of America had a hard childhood; abuse, vitriol and molestation were her upbringing. Rape initiated her transformation, not through the violence of the act, but through the carrying of her rapist's child. Tora carried her babe, lovingly, hopeful that it, whatever it was, would have a better future than her, and a better conscience than the man who had invaded her. She was careful, she was loving - and one fateful night she was mugged, and raped again. She lost her babe, and lost her innocence afterwards. The blood on the alley beneath her and staining her thighs awoke the beast within her, so violently and uncontrollable, the guttural deep-set hate burst forward so savagely she had hunted and torn the man who killed the life within her to pieces so minuscule that a blender could not have done better.

Conall was sickened by Kappa's memories, she tried so hard to bury them, she did not want to hurt anyone around her, especially her pack-mates, and strove to be a new woman, one with power and might like she never knew before. Her nature flickered so flippantly between innocent and torture, she became the wild-card Conall was beginning to appreciate having around. She took the name Kappa when Conall had promoted her to part of his Specialty Team. 

Mu joined on Delta's recommendation, he was the newest and weakest of the Kianna pack - but not to be underestimated thus; he contributed to the operations with science, mathematics, engineering and technology. Murphy was his original name, but when he joined Conall's pack and they saw his wolf for the first time, white with black-spotted colouring throughout, he earned the nickname "Moo", easily translated to the Greek letter Mu. Murphy liked it, he had never felt included in jokes before, [many were not logical enough for him to try and understand them], this one was simple, and his pack-mates shared it with him instead of whispering it behind his back.

Mu had never been part of circles, or communities before. He grew up too smart, did not hide his superior intellect - it didn't earn him any friends. When he was hired by the US Government to be one of the researchers of Beasts he had eagerly accepted, purely on the basis that he was starved for knowledge others did not have. During the course of the studies he had been scratched, and apparently the beast had the intention of turning him because the next thing he knew he was on the other side of the bars being studied. He noted in his own studies of his 'new' self that his body began to grow, and muscle mass built much more easily on places he thought he would never have muscle. Still thin he enjoyed the ability to now eat whatever he wanted without suffering consequences; his allergy to peanuts 'magically' disappeared, but unfortunately he developed an allergy to chocolate, and all other items poisonous to the canine family, just like the rest of the beasts he had studied.

When Mu had been released he went straight to Delta, a specimen he had researched at the beginning of his career with the government and gotten along well with. "Someone needs to be accountable for how we are being treated - voluntary or no, I felt like a prisoner in there. I am - am sorry if you ever experienced that under my care." Delta laid a hand on his friend's shoulder; "You were kind, I suffered no mistreatment. But you bring up a concern other beasts have raised. I've got just the man to help us deal with it." 

Theta had been Conall's latest 'foster-fail', he had assumed she would join the Hotomkam once she became comfortable enough as a beast. She was quite young, younger than any beast Conall had ever met. The first time the Kianna pack had all phased along with her, they saw that she was not only young in human form, but wolf as well. She had yet to grow into her paws, still large and pup-like in the way they caused her to stumble and trip; her legs were thin, and her fur was not thick and bold like the others, she had no mane and her face and snout were petite compared to her large ears. Makade had felt the opinion of his pack shift when they saw her; it was as if they all suddenly imprinted on her - not romantically, but the Kianna were immediately drawn to protecting this small wolf and keeping her safe from the world. It helped that she instantaneously fell in love with Murphy and therefore chose to stay in the pack. Not that Mu noticed, with his mind always set on the newest technology and research the Pack were able to get her hands on.

 

Conall smiled wryly at the thought of Mu noticing anything that wasn't on a tablet and tried to return his attention to Mu's updates from the scientists' most recent research. He stood, pacing on the dais as he listened before tucking his hands into his pants pockets. A soft material met the tips of his right fingers and he paused for less than a millisecond as it registered in his mind what they were. Only Delta noticed, the faint flicker of his eyes to Conall's let him know he had been aware of the slip. Frustrated Conall fisted Morrigan's underwear in his hand; he had forgotten he had grabbed them from the bathroom doorknob before retreating to his office - when he had heard Morrigan approaching his office door earlier that morning he had quickly grabbed the silk from his desk and shoved them into his pocket, embarrassed he had even considered taking them in the first place.

He was not being a pervert - he rationalized to himself - it was obviously left to tantalize him. He merely considered it as accepting a gift. Claiming his prize for being such a _good boy_ last night.

He knew he had been rude and distant, he had intended it to be that way. Morrigan had been here all of four days and he had already marked her as his own, let alone it was just the gateway to her becoming his imprinted mate for eternity.  _Fuck_. What was he thinking? It was manipulative, bordering on maniacal - stealing away an innocent 20 year old woman's choices, Conall did not bother to try and calculate how much older he was than her - how he should fucking know better, have more control by now.

The least he could do was push her away before their bond was fully sealed.

 ** _No._** Makade spoke up with so much authority, he almost pushed past the surface of Conall's control. _That will not happen. You will **not** push her away - you will be _**_everything_** _she needs. **SHE.** Not you. Do what she needs - stop thinking for yourself, or she will never be **yours** again._

The thinly veiled threat had Conall on edge, his jaw ticked at the idea of his Beast taking over.

Could he put his own desires away? For Morrigan's sake? His greatest fear was telling her too much only to have her react negatively and leave... but if he made it so hard for her to leave _before_ he told her everything - Makade would be satisfied, Morrigan would be _more_ than satisfied, and Conall would bear the sin of his manipulation for the rest of his life.

 _Gichi-manidoo_ , was he really thinking of these evil ways to get what he wanted? He was poisoned.

More than that he was frustrated - his souls were taking different routes to the same end goal; Morrigan. But over the past thirteen years he had become accustomed to stuffing down thoughts of her, and did so now (with painful ease). The meeting continued and Conall stepped into his Alpha role, knowing his brother was watching their love closely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	14. Ode'Dewizi - Heart Ache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post peeps - I'm getting really nitpicky and don't like releasing a chapter before I'm wholly satisfied with it. 
> 
> Anyway! Here it is!
> 
> Skip the end if you hate oral ;)

Morrigan's chest was heaving, her throat was dry, every breath tearing through her lungs in searing pain. She knew it felt so much worse than her regular runs because she was forcing her emotions down and away, as far as she could bury them. Her feet were tingling, there were needles and sap sticking to her, her arms had thin, pink scratches from branches and she knew leaves had stuck in her hair. Still the embarrassment burned hot across her skin and would not let her mind go blissfully blank as it did when she pushed herself physically.

She could not comprehend - how could he think it right to offer her a _pillow on the floor_? This wasn't 18th century Persia and she was not a concubine in a harem! She could have stood by the wall, in the crowd, or behind the dais. Anything would have been better than sitting at the feet of a man. It was such a blatant display of patriarchy, Morrigan felt it was an insult not only to her as a woman, but to the relationship she had thought they shared. 

A small clearing appeared before her and she slowed, resting her hands on her knees and letting her hair fall around her face once she had stopped. Over the sound of her heavy breathing she heard something approaching from behind - she didn't care who, or what, it was. She stood and threw her head back, there was a small breeze that swept her hair over her shoulder, it felt nice; she breathed it in, trying to cleanse the malcontent out of her body. She imagined her mind was free and clear, like soft white snow blanketing the fields around her home, and drew in the scents of the forest around her - the trees were different down here, but she could still detect that familiar cedar aroma around her.

When she opened her eyes a brilliant white wolf stood in front of her, still in the shade of the trees on the other side of the clearing, one of it's paws paused mid-air as it watched her with pale yellow eyes.

"I know that I have..." she struggled for the right word, " _Met_ you." Morrigan started, there was still a small lingering piece of her brain that alarmed the _flight or fight_ reaction at seeing a wolf in the woods, she tried not to let it affect her physiologically, but when the wolf's ears perked towards her she knew it had picked up the sudden kick in her heart-rate. "You're part of St. Alpha."

The wolf moved cautiously, stepping behind a large tree. Morrigan felt, rather than heard, a small surge of energy across her skin, before a beautiful blonde-haired, tan-skinned woman stepped out from the other side of the tree. Morrigan could not help but stare the other woman, she was graceful, her feet walking so lightly over the forest floor that there were no snaps of twigs or crackle of leaves. Her legs were long, she stood taller than Morrigan by several inches, she was lithe and curvy, and long blonde hair flowed down her shoulders covering her left breast.

The woman was looking her over the same way, face open and curious. When she began to look towards her face the woman stopped just under Morrigan's throat and grimaced.

"Lam-da, _Lambda_ \- right?" the woman met her eyes and nodded, her expression now closed off to Morrigan. "Did Conall send you to follow me?"

"Yes." Lambda's voice was deep and smokey, it made Morrigan shudder slightly. "You are very beautiful." Now Morrigan really shook and swallowed around a suddenly dry tongue.

"M- _Miigwech_." Morrigan thanked her and knew she was blushing madly now, "As are you. Both like this and when you're -"

"A beast." Lambda shrugged and a small smile graced her lips. "You run very fast for a human. I enjoyed chasing you." Morrigan choked as a nervous giggle escaped her.

"I'm fast when I'm mad." Her smile faded. She looked around the clearing - looking for anything to stare at other than the gorgeous woman in front of her - and found a flat portion of a large rock to sit on. Immediately Lambda sat on the ground beside her. "You can sit with me, I'll make room." Morrigan began to scoot over, but when Lambda laughed she looked over to the other woman.

"You really _do_ know nothing, I thought at least your Indian Blood would give you some instinct with us. I cannot sit a head higher than anyone whose station is over mine." She tilted her head back as she rested on her elbows, closing her eyes as if she were enjoying the meagre sunlight across her body.

"Station? I just got here, surely you have been here longer?" Lambda began to laugh again, Morrigan liked the sound of it and smiled along, even if she did not understand.

"Morrigan - You and Conall are partners, his station automatically applies to you. Why do you think he was fine taking the seat on the floor back there? Only equals can feel comfortable enough to take a lower station than the other. Especially with _that_." Lambda touched a finger lightly to Morrigan's shoulder and it made her wince, as if there had been an electric shock and banging it on a corner all at once. Morrigan looked at where the woman was pointing and saw the bruise on her shoulder, dark purples, broken veins threading through the skin, a circular shape reaching from her collarbone back over her shoulder until she could see it no longer.

"W-what the hell?" Morrigan couldn't fathom what did this to her, yes it was sore, but the way it looked implied so much violence Morrigan was disgusted.

"Don't fret, yes it looks bad now, it will fade, you will hardly see it in a month or so." Lambda was casual about it, leaning backwards again and crossing her ankles one over other.

"What is it? How did it get there?!"

"It's a Mating Mark, it's what lovers put on one another to show others they belong together." Lambda said it lightly, but would not meet Morrigans eyes; "It marks you as his, but you did not mark him back. It is the oldest form of claiming territory - other than getting pissed on."

Morrigan was still shocked, but even more so by Lambda's words that she burst out in a short laugh that echoed throughout the trees before she laid a hand over her mouth. When the echo had faded, so had Morrigan's mirth.

"I am _not_ territory." Lambda looked up at her, listening, "I am my own woman, as you are yours. I want you to sit _with_ me. And I want you to do it because you want to, _not_ because I am asking you to."

Lambda stared, still no emotion on her face. She stood, brushed off the forest pieces sticking to her legs and buttocks, then walked away behind Morrigan.

Her shoulders slumped - _so much for trying to make a friend..._

Softly her hair lifted from her back and shoulders - she turned her head to look at Lambda over her shoulder. The woman had placed herself on a higher span of rock and had bracketed Morrigan's shoulders with her legs. Lambda began to braid her hair from behind and Morrigan sighed, enjoying herself just as much as she had when her mother braided her hair back home. They sat in silence as Lambda's long fingers worked through her dark hair, both enjoying the sun and the silence.

A light touch on Morrigan's bruised shoulder made her look down - a beautiful long eagle feather was waving in the wind across her skin - she grabbed it between two of her fingers and felt the tug at the nape of her neck; Lambda had masterfully woven the feather into her hair with a slip of leather. Morrigan had not seen Lambda with any of the items she had been decorated with, how had the other women hidden them?

"I met Conall when he came down to the Pack. No one else saw how much pain he was in. I knew he had been ripped from you against his will. I did not know your identity, but I knew he was yours and had left the deepest part of himself wherever he had come from." Lambda had finished a long thick braid reaching past Morrigan's shoulder-blades, she fingered it softly before sitting down beside Morrigan, their shoulders almost touching. "I was torn from someone I loved too - I could see it in him as I had seen it in myself." She had been looking out into the forest but looked at the mark on Morrigan's shoulder and fell silent.

"D-do you have one too?" Morrigan felt frightened, the intensity and longing with which Lambda spoke shook something deep in Morrigan's core.

Lambda looked up into her eyes, shifting to face Morrigan fully - her breath came short and stuttering under the gaze of the pale-eyed woman. She reached up, wrapping a hand around her own throat before tossing her golden hair behind her shoulder. Morrigan stifled a gasp as the locks swept aside to reveal horrific, puckered scars where Lambda's left breast was supposed to be. Her chest cavity was caved in, scarring reaching up to Lambda's shoulder muscle, which looked as if it had been torn away, only her clavicle and humerus sticking through the waxy, thin _skin._

"The one I loved, loved too severely in return." Lambda said quietly, running her fingertips lightly over the scars. "She was beautiful - the most magnificent woman I had ever met. She thought I had hung the moon and the stars, and when I was with her I felt like I could. She marked me first, right over my heart, she always said she wished she could get closer to my heart - crawl inside it and live there forever." Her breath caught, Morrigan remained silent, a cold sweat breaking down her spine - and it wasn't from the run.

"One day, she was especially attentive, could not stop looking at me, touching me - I was excited, I thought she was going to propose, I had never seen her act like that. She took me to bed, it was beautiful at first, but began getting more intense, until it started feeling rough, I wanted to stop but she was adamant, she needed me - _needed me_. I was lost, I didn't know whether I should feel desired or scared. Then her nails got pointed, and she started making these- these _noises_ , and she was biting my breast, harder than usual. She kept saying she needed to _see_ my love, _hold_ my heart. I didn't think it was anything but words - until her teeth became sharp and I could see my blood on her face."

Morrigan reached out to grab her hand, but stopped herself, not wanting the story to continue, but knowing this was not about her comfort level, but about Lambda sharing her truth with her. Tears were brimming at her eyes - but Lambda's remained dry.

"She must have been intending to change me, I never knew she was different. She hid it s-so well. Some say it's because I endured the loss of her that I turned, no one really knows, but I honestly don't care. I'm here now, she isn't. I'm stuck mated to a dead woman - one that I killed... because she would have killed me if I hadn't." Lambda reached out and grabbed Morrigan's hand suddenly, sending a jolt of searing pain through Morrigan's skin, enough that she gasped - Lambda gasped too;

" _That!_ " she let go, raising her hand to her face as if relishing the tingling flesh, " _That_ \- that pain is the only way that I know she was my true love. Only mates feel that pain when touching the people we aren't mated to."

Morrigan had no words. She was mortified - she didn't know how Lambda could be so in love with someone that did something so horrendous to her, especially after so much time had passed. And she was loathe to turn the last of Lambda's comments on to her self; but mates? mated? Conall and her were mated?!

Lost in her thoughts and sympathy Morrigan didn't notice Lambda stand and tug lightly at Morrigan's braid. "It's getting late - time to go home."

* * *

 

"Lambda?" Morrigan spoke up on their way home, she could see the tall glass windows of the throne room nearing them, and she needed to say this before they were re-submerged into the Pack. "Thank you for telling me your story, and if you ever need to feel - _that_ again, I'd be happy to help."

Lambda smiled, reaching out - Morrigan braced herself for the shock of pain - but relaxed when Lambda lightly stroked the eagle feather hanging over Morrigans collarbone.

"Only true friends are willing to share each others pain. I'm glad you have finally joined us Morrigan."

Something warm sparked in Morrigan's chest, she felt she could trust someone here now. It was a good feeling among all the uncertainty in her heart. She used the spark, clung to it and desperately tried to stoke it into a fire within herself - a fire strong enough to drive her back into the throne room and face the embarrassment she had faced in there.

They walked in, side-by-side, the few remaining individuals turned to look at them entering. Morrigan tried to keep her eyes forward, not looking anywhere in particular - when she felt shame settle on her shoulders and the weight of it made her look towards her feet Lambda gently brushed her knuckles along Morrigan's, the sharp pain making her spine straighten and head snap up again.

Conall was staring back at her when she looked up. His eyes flitted down to her hand, so close to Lambda's, and then back up to her face - his expression betraying nothing. Lambda was suddenly gone from her side, silently filing out with the other pack members, until the large wooden doors softly groaned closed, leaving just Morrigan and Conall, staring at each other, almost at opposite ends of the room.

Morrigan didn't know what she was supposed to feel - she felt frustration, embarrassment, shame, anger. She brought her hands together in front of her, rubbing her thumb across her knuckles, trying to take some of Lambda's strength from the residual contact with her. To her left the plush pillow sat flattened - obviously Conall had used it throughout the meeting that had taken place. To her right, the antlered throne, untouched.

She pulled that burning ember inside her chest, breathing deeply to light it.

She took a step to the left - Conall turned his body to face her, folding some pages in his hand and tucking them into his back pocket, giving her his full attention.

Morrigan bent down, and picked up the pillow. Conall regretted leaving it there, he knew it had triggered something in her that he didn't want to bring up. She fingered the tassels and plucked at the fringes, blowing a half chuckle through her nose and giving a small glance up in Conall's direction before stepping back over to the throne, tossing the pillow on the seat and standing there for a short moment.

Conall watched as his little Morrigan, spun on her heel and perched herself on his throne. She looked uncomfortable at first, but began to settle back into the large chair, resting her hands on the arms of the throne, threading her fingers through the antlers at the edges. Morrigan looked back into Conall's eyes, finally, and he saw the challenge there - she crossed her legs, oh so slowly, showing Conall the full extent of her tanned muscled skin. Makade growled possessively inside of him and Conall could not help but wet his lips, crossing his arms over his chest - she could flex her muscles, he could flex his.

Morrigan appreciated the way Conall's shirt moved over his broad chest and shoulders, but more she was appreciating the hungry flash in his eyes. He was going to have to work to get anything from her this time. Rolling her ankle and flexing her toes she kept her eyes on Conall, even as his gaze followed her movements.

"You know why I left." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"You know why it was wrong - to offer me a pillow. On the floor."

"I -" he began walking towards her, but Morrigan cut him off;

"Yes. You took it." She held up her hand, a silent indication telling him to stop his approach. "But you did it like a prick." Conall's jaw twitched and he took another step towards her as she continued; "You didn't explain that I have station here - that these seats are interchangeable. And telling me these things - or not telling me - was absolutely inappropriate to do in front of these Alpha's."

Morrigan could see the gears turning in his head, see him trying to accept the dressing down she was giving him without snapping back like an Alpha would. Finally, Conall nodded, looking at the floor as he pushed his hands into his pockets - quickly his right hand jumped back out of his pocket, as if there were a spider inside that had bit him - he flexed his fingers cautiously and took a few more strides in her direction. Morrigan didn't stop him this time, just watched as he made his way to the foot of the dais. The small platform did little to lessen the height difference between them, even with Morrigan on the throne she still had to tilt her head up to look at his face. 

"I'm -" he began, lifting a leg to take the first step up - Morrigan kicked out her foot and held her leg straight ahead of her to stop Conall from coming any closer, her toes only a few inches from his abdomen. She was glad she had scuffed off her feet before stepping in the throne room - they were dirty but at least she wasn't tracking in mud and needles. Conall looked down at the sudden barrier, raising an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth turned upward. He sighed, looked up at Morrigan through hooded eyes and slowly knelt down in front of the stairs - Morrigan's eyes widened in surprise and her leg almost faltered; her foot was now pointed right at his chest. 

"I'm sorry." Conall said, gently taking Morrigan's heel in one of his hands, he leaned forward and tilted her foot to the side, pressing a light kiss to the soft skin of her ankle. Morrigan gasped, the feel of his stubble made an odd rasping and tickling sensation that sped it's way up her nerves. 

"I should have told you," he continued, his hand wrapping around and digging his thumb into the arch of her foot, massaging away the sore state her soles were in from running. His kisses had continued up her ankle to her shin, his other hand reaching up and cupping the back of her knee. 

"You _should_ h-have told me." her words were coming out in breathy pants as her hands clung uselessly to the horns around her. Conall crawled a step up towards her. 

"I will not make you sit on the floor." his hot trail of kisses had made their way to her knee - and somehow her other knee had been placed over his shoulder without Morrigan noticing - his hands were soft as they stroked along her legs, raising goosebumps behind them as they kneaded and massaged her muscles. Feeling her relax, he began to tease her, "You can sit in my lap?" 

"I, I can - I'll stand." Morrigan said through clenched teeth - her eyes were tightly shut, she didn't think she could handle seeing Conall looking up at her from between her thighs.

"Next time." He promised - Conall didn't hear Morrigan echo his words back to him, because as soon as he kissed her silky inner thigh, the blood rushing through his ears muffled out every other sound - he could smell her arousal, growing with every touch he gave her, he could feel the fluttering of her legs, see her chest rising and falling as her stuttered breathing hitched. Conall could not think of anything more beautiful than what he was witnessing now. 

"I want to taste you."

Morrigan's eyes flew open and she froze, looking down at Conall with open shock written all over her face. He knew she was a virgin, she had practically admitted it her first day here, and while she was inexperienced, Morrigan was not all that innocent - she knew what happened, what types of sex there was, she had visited websites, read stories, all the information she could get her hands on in fact. But nothing could have prepared her for an open admission from a man kneeling between her legs. 

"Please?" he asked after more of her silence - she wanted it, she knew that, she would take everything he offered her and more... but she was unsure- she had no idea what to do, what it would feel like. 

In her hesitation Conall began to lean back - he assumed he had pushed her too far, asked for too much. He had not gotten far when Morrigan's leg shifted, wrapping it around the back of Conall's neck, stopping him from retreating. He looked up at Morrigan, she had her fingernails between her lips, chewing them nervously, before giving the smallest of nods - granting him to continue. 

Conall's heart began to race, she was giving him a chance to prove himself, to give without taking. Whether she knew that or not Conall didn't worry about now - he tried to keep his grin from looking too wolfish as he settled himself closer to the throne his mate was dangerously close to sliding off of. 

His kisses resumed, hot and open-mouthed slipping along her skin, trying to get her back to the panting mess she had been before his admission had startled her. It took a few light nips and whispered adulation to get her to relax again - enough so that his fingers inched higher and higher, sliding under the top of her tiny white shorts. Morrigan lifted her hips, giving Conall room to pull the garment off - Conall looked up at her with a smirk on his face, curling his fingers around the material before tearing them, slowly as if they were a piece of tissue.

"Oh my god-" she started lifting herself up, looking down at the scraps falling away from her hips.

"I'll buy you new ones." he murmured, looking as if he had suddenly become drunk; hazed over eyes, mouth falling open, tongue flitting out to swipe along his lower lip. "But not these." Conall began fingering the underwear she had on, frilly and blue. He leaned close enough Morrigan could feel his hot breath panting over the thin barrier between them. She didn't know whether to hate the material separating them or hold onto it like a shield, the last thing protecting her from Conall's gaze.

Fortunately she did not have to decide right away - Conall's mouth pressed over the fabric, a chaste kiss at first - Morrigan gasped, her head tilting back against the throne. The next kiss was much less subdued and the moan she made was matched by Conall, his deep voice vibrating through her and making her legs tremble atop his shoulders. 

Her scent, the faint taste through the material, it was driving him feral - Conall could not wait any longer - he was trying to go slow with her, but he had waited to taste her his whole life. He peeled the damp fabric away, hooking two fingers on either side of the waistband and drawing them down her legs. Morrigan whimpered at the loss of his touch, reaching out to him now and curling her fingers in his hair - she pulled lightly, angling his face up towards her. He took the opportunity to tuck her underwear into his pocket, whether she noticed it or not he couldn't say, he lost all shame when he was like this with her; they were his trophy's, and he would collect them like dogs did bones, buried somewhere safe where only he could enjoy them. 

"Taste - me - again." she begged him, breathing heavily and inching herself to the edge of her seat. Conall slid his hands around her hips, lightly trailing his fingers over her stomach, pushing her tank top higher on her abdomen, relishing in the gasps she made as he softly pushed her back into the seat, looking into her eyes for any hesitation as he lowered his head closer to the heat pulsing from her.

Conall's head dipped and Morrigan thought her nerves would shatter. Like worship, he mouthed over the delicate wet folds of her sex, tasting the most forbidden part of her, his eyes gently closed. She had never seen him like this before. This was wholly new. His relief -  as if he’d come home, tasted something he had missed  - was too frightening to tear her gaze away from the depth of emotion flowing from him. 

Deep, dark laps of pleasure washed over Morrigan, as if her entire body was experiencing what Conall's mouth was doing to just one part of her. She bucked lightly and one of Conalls arms crossed her hips to keep her still - the feeling of being held down was exciting, she didn't know if she should fight it or give in. His hand lightly grasped hers - it was a soft contrast to what was happening and she smiled - Conall met her eyes and she felt him smile too. The soft look in his eyes turned wicked suddenly and whatever he did with his tongue then made Morrigan gasp and grab onto the back of the throne, bracing herself and keening into one of her shoulders. 

The quiver in her legs washed away as Conall cupped her hips, rounding his hands along her buttocks - lifting her like he was drinking from her. Morrigan couldn't stop herself from reaching down with one hand and brushing roughly over his scalp, making him groan into her, sink his tongue deeper. Her chest was heaving when she felt something new, spiralling around and then finally into her, coaxing her closer with an undulating roll through her body.

She was losing her mind.

Vision blank and mouth wide open, she came with his tongue circling, drawing everything deep from inside her, taking all of it and making it his own. He slid his hands up and around her waist, grasping at the curve of her back when she arched high and dug her heels into his shoulders, pushed his mouth into her. He followed her, moaning roughly with surprise.

Conall brought her down smoothly, slowing his ministrations, using his hands to knead and relax her tensed muscles. When his mouth finally left her, Morrigan felt his absence like the loss of a piece of herself she had only just discovered. Conall placed a series of kisses along her thigh, before returning to taste what he'd drawn from her - effectively coating himself in the sheen of her again. He repeated the movement along her other leg, before gently placing her feet on the floor. He was still between her spread legs as he raised himself up onto his knees, let his hands slide up to her waist, his thumbs drawing slow circles on her hip bones. Conall leaned forward until Morrigan was able to reach up and cup his face in her hands - he looked satisfied, if not a little dishevelled. Morrigan imagined she had the same expression as she leaned up and kissed him - her taste still coated his lips, and when he sighed into her and let her tongue explore his the taste only became stronger. It was heady and intoxicating, the two of them sharing something so intimate, both lost to how they made the other feel. 

"That - that was good?" Morrigan whispered when they parted, beginning to return to her senses. 

Conall barked out a laugh, "You're asking _me_ if that was good? God you are the sweetest thing on this earth. I should be asking you that, Morgie." He held out a hand for her and Morrigan took it, rising from the antler throne - legs muchmore wobbly than when she had sat in it in the first place.

"As far as I can tell it was good," Morrigan shrugged as they walked down the steps and towards the wooden doors, "For the first round I suppose." 

He turned to her shocked, jaw dropped and eyes wide. Morrigan threw her head back and laughed before answering; "I'm teasing!" 

Conall clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes before smiling wryly at her; "You think _you_ know teasing? I'll show you teasing..."

And after they navigated a bottomless Morrigan through the mansion and back to their room, he did.


	15. Naniizaanendan - Consider the Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Friends, or enemies now - I don't know if you love or hate me haha. 
> 
> Sorry it's been so long since I've updated - I moved to a new province for a new job and it's been hectic! I never meant to leave this series for so long - but I lost a lot of my inspiration when I moved and I'm finding it hard to set aside enough time to work on this story to the point I'm entirely satisfied. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all are well, I'll be trying to get this chapter and 1 more out this month - as makeup and as a little holiday present from me to you. 
> 
> All mistakes are my own.
> 
> Enjoy!

The day had been busy - Morrigan had hardly found any time to process everything that happened last night. Pieces of the overwhelming evening filtered in as fragments throughout their hectic morning.

Conall and St. Alpha had taken her to the research centre tucked into the same forest they were living in, close to half an hour away. When Conall had helped her down from the vehicle, his hands circling her waist, she briefly remembered the way those hands had touched her in the throne room - gentle and urgent. 

Entering the research centre was like walking into a science fiction movie; everything was white and steel, with hazmat suits and double-doors with regulated air temperatures and instruments beeping faintly somewhere further down the hallways. She disliked it instantly, but the people there were professional and courteous, so Morrigan made an attempt to not form an opinion too quickly. 

Mu led them through the facility, introducing her to key scientists and explaining what was performed in different wings of the centre. Morrigan payed attention and tried not to ask too many questions, but during one of Mu's lengthy narratives she peered back and saw that several St. Alpha members had disappeared from the group. Her face paled, she tugged on Conall's sleeve and when he saw the panic in her eyes, quickly turned and gathered the reason for her alarm. 

"They have check-ups today. We come here for regular testing and monitoring - nothing to be afraid of." He was leaning down and murmuring it in her ear - just like he had whispered how long he had been waiting to taste her in bed last night.

She shook the memory away before the ache between her legs could get any stronger, and continued following after Mu - wholly distracted from his presentation now. Morrigan wondered if Conall could still taste her on his lips, if his mouth was watering at the thought. 

A spike of pain raced up from her hand, like the sudden shock from an electric currant. Morrigan yelped and turned, whipping her hand away from whatever was hurting her and clutching it to her chest. A man stood with his hand held up, obviously having just been holding hers, but was now empty - he was smirking at her, it gave him a cruel edge to his eyes. He was tall, close to Conall's height, and in his mid- to late-forties, dark hair hung limply across his forehead before he took his offending hand and rain his fingers through it, slicking it back before pulling a pen from behind his ear and scribbling down a note on a pad he had in his other hand. 

"Was that entirely necessary?" Mu asked flatly as he appeared between Morrigan and the man. Conall was glad for him stepping in, he had reached for Morrigan and was holding her injured hand tightly between his - if he hadn't been focusing so intently on her, Mu would have been scraping the scientist off the ceiling. 

" _Discovery does not stop at discomfort._ " the man replied, quoting someone they obviously did not recognize, he had a watery voice accentuating each of his words, he tucked his pen and pad into one of the large pockets in his lab coat and turned his eyes back to Morrigan before looking at Conall, "So this is your mate, Lupal?"

"This is Morrigan." Conall answered, neither confirming or denying the scientist's assumption. He turned to Morrigan and introduced the man as the lead scientist, the laminated name tag on his breast pocket read 'James Pierson' along with a grimy picture of him from ten plus years ago. Morrigan kept her mouth shut, only glaring at the man - something about him unnerved her, she was feeling slimy from his touch and wanted nothing but to wash her hands, - _no_ , her body - of this place.

"Hrm." Pierson's face twitched and he turned on his heel, obviously taking over their little tour. Mu gave an exasperated look over his shoulder as he followed the scientist down the hallway, Conall put his hand on Morrigan's lower back, whispering apologies into her hair as they walked. 

Morrigan drowned out the "slimeball-scientist" as her curiosity began to take over; peering into rooms and trying to get a peek at the charts and forms she passed by. She noticed a small room with a phone and a chair inside without any other ornaments and stopped short.

Conall glanced down at her then over to the room she was looking at - _of course._ "You want to call your parents?" he asked her quietly.

"If you do not mind?" Morrigan stepped into the room and saw some instructions on how to dial out of the building taped onto the wall.

"We'll finish our rounds and come back to get you before heading out. Just holler if you need anything, I'll leave Xi outside." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead, "Say hello for me." Morrigan smiled and closed the glass door to the room before sitting down and picking up the receiver. She didn't dial her home number, no one would be home at this time of day - it was lunch rush there.

"Beth's Blue's! Takeout or Delivery?" a teenager's cheery, albeit cracking, voice answered.

"Hey Kevin - are my parents there?"

"Oh, hey Morrigan! No, not today - I think they're at Morgie's. Your folks sure do miss you! When are you coming back?" Morrigan rolled her eyes - trust a small town to spread news faster than the speed of light.

"Not sure Kevin - I'm going to try calling them there now okay?" They said their goodbyes and Morrigan punched in the numbers to the other restaurant. These were days she regretted her choice to not have a cell-phone, remembering numbers, addresses and everything in between was starting to get old.

"Morgies!-" 

"Mom!" Morrigan laughed into the phone, the sound of her mother's voice made tears spring to her eyes.

"Morrigan! _Danaa_ _aaniin_?"

"I'm well mother, how are you? How's dad?"  


"Takoda!" Morrigan could hear her mother yelling across the restaurant, "It's our daughter!" a faint whooping and cheers went up in the background - no wonder the whole town knew she was gone.

"Morgie!" her father's elated voice came through the receiver and Morrigan had to consciously relax her hands from crushing the phone to her face. She closed her eyes imagining her parents were doing the same on the other end of the line.

"Dad, Mom - it's so great to hear you both."

"Morrigan - how are you?" "How is Conall?" "Will you be home soon?" Both of them were speaking at the same time and Morrigan tried to answer as quickly as possible.

" _Ninga,_ _I_ _ndede._ " Mother, Father, "Conall is fine, h-he says 'hi'. He's not sick anymore." Morrigan didn't know if _sick_ was the right term, had he ever been sick? It had just been Makade after all - she shook it off and continued to talk. "The people here are really great - there are a lot of them. I don't know how to describe it down here, it's like one big, uh, family."  


"Well your family here misses you," Takoda said, again to faint cheers in the background - Morrigan would not be surprised if she were on speakerphone right now. His voice got quieter and she knew her parents had huddled closer to the phone on the wall. "We are so proud of you for going down there, we know it must have been scary, packing up and leaving with strangers, but we knew how awful it had been when he left - we were just happy you wanted to see him again."

"I am glad I came. There's so much to learn - so much we didn't know. I can explain better next time I see you." Morrigan stopped herself, she didn't know when she would see them again, hopefully soon? She could not make any promises yet.

"You should know - we didn't mean to keep everything from you, but we hardly understood ourselves. He asked us not to share it, to let you grow up not knowing." Her mother sounded so sad, Morrigan felt more than anything the burden her parents must have experienced keeping that secret to themselves for the past decade. Morrigan didn't know how to handle it - she was angry at being left in the dark, but the love her parents had for her, and now obviously for Conall, made her feel forgiving... and oddly grateful she realized. Her head became foggy with the weight of it, she pushed her hair off of her face and leaned her shoulder into the wall next to her.

"He wanted you to grow up, normal." Grateful or not that only blurred Morrigan's mind more and sent an icy frisson of resentment down into her belly.

What was  _normal_ supposed to be? Plagued by depression and anxiety at missing someone people believed had never been there - what her therapists diagnosed as an "imaginary friend"; Morrigan had grown up with the fear of people suddenly disappearing, she would call her parents throughout the school day, and wake up throughout the night to walk to their room and watch them both sleeping - made sure to see their chests rise and fall before she felt safe enough to leave them, return to her own bed. She lost many friends, because when she _did_ have a cellphone, if someone didn't answer a text or phonecall right away, she flew into a panic - these would end with her calling her friends parents, running to their homes, or getting the police involved. There was only one small RCMP station in town, and the two constables knew when they received a call from her number to instantly forward it to her parents. It was well known around town by the time Morrigan had reached her teenage years. She cut herself off from social media and focused on school, throwing herself into studies and photography. Using the ample time she had in stead of a social life, Morrigan took homeschooling credits, and graduated three years early. The college courses she was eligible for online gave her a sense of security, no one could see the real Morrigan, just the image she portrayed online.

One of the counsellors from the faculty approached Morrigan at the restaurant and asked if she would join a photography club being created at the highschool. Takoda and Beth wanted to get her out of the house more, Morrigan had guessed as much from their worried looks they sent her way when they didn't think she would notice. Morrigan accepted, and that's where she had made the small circle of friends she left in High Level... where she had met Tory. Tory took black and white photos... Tory saw the world on another level than Morrigan - everything to her was black and white. When she and Morrigan had been developing film in the school's dark-room, Tory had revealed she believed Morrigan was the only one she wasn't able to place into one of her boxes - Morrigan had no idea what that meant, but when Tory kissed her she was plunged into her own grey area.

" _Nandawendam_ \- " _I need_... what did she need? She wanted to be with her family - but she did not _need_ it right now. She wanted their advice - but knew the vague platitudes she would receive wouldn't do her any good. 

" _Nandawendam mino-izhiwebizi."_ _I need you both well._ She knew they understood - it was all she could muster at that point. 

_"Giwebatoo._ "  


"Bye Mum, Dad."

Morrigan hung up and sat back in her chair, she let her head fall back, her hair slid off her shoulder - leaving the eagle feather alone, drifting along her collarbone. She fingered it, letting the noise of the vanes crinkling drown out the monitors and chatter from the rest of the research centre. It was too much like a hospital - too institutionalized. Morrigan felt caged, in a way she was sure her aunts and cousins had felt in the 1950's ** - their forced sterilization and confinement. She didn't understand how any of her new kin could stand to come in here, for check-ups, for poking and prodding.  She supposed they weren't kin, they were not even the same species.

A sharp rap on the glass door made her jump, her hand flew to her stomach as her heart tried to escape her throat. Xi was on the other side, he could see her phonecall ended and was looking at Morrigan with a quizzical expression. Morrigan smiled and stood, opening the door - Xi took two quick steps back and tilted his head away - as if she had just opened the door to an oven and the heat had blasted out into his face. Again Morrigan wondered if she smelled, his expression looked identical to Phi's when they had first met...

"Are you well?" Xi asked, keeping his eyes trained on the wall across from them.

"Yes, thank you - I was lost in thought." Morrigan was cold now - as if that tiny room really had become her oven - blanketed in memories. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and saw Xi glance at her before quickly turning his eyes away.

"I will take you to Lupal now?" Morrigan tried to nod and smile, but it came out in a tight-lipped grimace. She felt like her manners were bad, but the man was not even looking at her, so did it matter? There were things she would have to pick up on out here - things she had meant to ask Conall about last night, but had been put on the back burner in exchange for other, more pleasant answers.

Xi began walking down the hallways, Morrigan's dizziness seemed to fluctuate as they walked, and she realized the hallways were designed to mask the declines into the earth below. The facility only looked to be 2 storeys above-ground. How many floors were there? Or would they be called basements?

"Xi, what else do they do here?"

"Research, testing, surgery -"

"Surgery?!" Morrigan startled, the visions of sterilization repeating in her mind once more.

"Sorry - I mean medicine. They sew us up when we get -" Xi made slashing motions with one hand over the other - Morrigan assumed he was trying to portray 'cut' but the meaning went deeper.

"We are getting studied - the government want's to use us, so we want something back from government."

"To better understand yourselves." Morrigan recognized the feeling. They walked in silence before reaching Conall. Xi had stopped by a door and waved a hand towards it, Morrigan looked inside. It was a basic hospital room, exactly like the clinic back home, with posters and pamphlets on the wall - except for the massive man sitting on the tiny examining table. Conall had his arm out, sleeve rolled up over the elbow with a small rubber tie wrapped around his forearm, his other hand was propped on his hip and he was speaking with the nurse as if they were old friends. The slime-doctor was sitting in the far corner, taking notes and watching the exchange with a grimace. Morrigan paid him no notice. The nurse prepped the winged infusion and laid a gloved hand on Conall to place it. Morrigan's arm tingled and she looked down at it - the sensation wasn't the same as when someone else touched her physically - only a fraction of the discomfort. When she looked up again the vial in the nurses hand was filling up, and Pierson was staring directly at her, pen scribbling away.

"Xi?" Morrigan knew he had not left her side, although he stayed a respectful distance away until she spoke his name, stepping closer behind her. "What does that doctor do?"

"He tracks our changes - how and why we turn into wolves. Pierson is very interested in Lambda, her transition is his favourite - but she won't see him any more."

Morrigan put that aside to ask Lambda about later. Right now Conall was looking at her through the glass, his eyes dark - the same way they had looked up at her from between her thighs last night.

A rush of excitement flowed through her, from the top of her head straight into the floor - she felt as if she were sparkling, electricity snapping over her skin - making it hypersensitive. She wanted his hands on her now, but felt rooted to the ground, there were too many people around for what Morrigan wanted to do to Conall, and him to her. 

"Okay, you're done." Morrigan heard the muffled voice of the nurse as the butterfly needle was extracted. Conall rolled down his sleeve, nodding to the room as he stood up and walked to the door. Xi opened the door to the office, then slipped in once Conall had exited, pushing off his jacket and occupying the table Conall had been on. 

"You spoke with your parents?" Conall drew her attention back to him, cupping her face and leaning down to touch his forehead against hers. He breathed in deeply through his nose - Morrigan guessed she didn't smell that bad if Conall could be this close and not make a face like the others did. 

"Mmm," she confirmed, "They say 'hi', and come see them soon. I think they miss you more than they miss me." she smirked as Conall barked out a laugh. His other hand came up to her face and he pulled her to him for a short kiss - one that was enough to make Morrigan's knees quake. His stubble brushed along her face as his thumbs brushed along her jaw, calloused but so gentle, like she were were made of porcelain. 

"We can go up for a visit if you like - I can look at my schedule." he had pulled back, but Morrigan's hands stayed tight on his hips, not letting his body break contact with hers. She just nodded to the suggestion - she was not completely sure her feelings of bringing Conall back to the place he had disappeared out of her life from, it was an idea she needed to chew on a little longer. 

"Can we get out of here now?" 

"Yeah, of course." Conall said with a small smile, he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it before reaching back to the office door. He pulled it open to tell Xi they were leaving then turned to the nurse; 

"Sam, we'll see you at the pack-wow tonight?" Sam-the-nurse nodded and gave them a small wave. 

Conall turned to leave, pulling Morrigan by their joined hands when she tugged on him back, making him look over his shoulder at her. 

"Please tell me 'pack-wow' isn't you mushing the words 'pack' and 'pow-wow' together. Because that's the stupidest thing I think I have ever heard!" Her eyes were incredulous but she couldn't stop the silly smile breaking out on her face when Conall rolled his eyes. 

"Well  _I_ didn't make it up..." 

"G _ichi-manidoo!_ " Morrigan swore in disbelief while laughing, her hand clutching her gut. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
> The forced/coerced sterilization of indigenous women is NOT a thing of the past - reports have been seen as recent as 2008 (and probably still ongoing).  
> Look in to it - don't turn a blind eye.  
> http://aptnnews.ca/2017/07/27/long-awaited-review-into-forced-sterilization-of-indigenous-women-at-saskatoon-hospital-finds-covert-and-overt-racism-among-staff/


	16. Ozhi-ayaaw - Prepare

The excitement of the upcoming pow-wow (Morrigan refused to call it a  _pack-wow_ ), was palpable when they arrived back at the mansion. There was a steady stream of people leaving from the East side of the home, carrying boxes and baskets of items into the woods beyond - one large man was even carrying what looked like a smoking barbecue on his shoulder. Morrigan had forgotten these people were probably a lot stronger than they looked. 

"What time does it start?" Morrigan asked as she and Conall entered the front doors, immediately being greeted with nods from everyone they passed. Small groups of pack milled around the front atrium, either carrying items down the lower hallway towards the exit they had seen members leaving from, or conferring with other organizers that were holding electronic tablets and directing people where to go. 

"When the sun sets - it's the last one before the new year, so we'll have lots of guests arriving throughout the week." Conall accepted a tablet from Zeta and got lost looking at whatever was on it for the moment. Morrigan took the opportunity to approach Zeta for more information; 

"Can I help at all? There must be lots to do if this event is going to last all week." 

Zeta smiled and turned to wave over another member, explaining "Actually it's the men that organize the pack-wow down here. and usually the Cipelahq one's at that." 

"Cole, you remember Morrigan?" The Scary-Eyes pack beta looked at Morrigan before sweeping his long hair to the side and bowing, exposing his naked neck and shoulder to her. 

"Yes, hello." the young man was beautiful, with bright blue eyes and soft dark skin that made him look like a unique blend of native and something else entirely.

"She would like to help." Zeta smiled and backed away as Cole seemed to look Morrigan up and down, no doubt assessing what value she could bring to their celebration endeavours. 

"You're human." it wasn't a question, so Morrigan didn't answer.

"She's human." Morrigan heard Conall behind her before peeking over her shoulder, he smiled with a glint in his eyes Morrigan didn't want to forget for as long as she lived. "Go have fun." He winked before fixing Cole with a hard look. Cole sniffed and rolled his eyes, pulling out his tablet and swiped it several times before looking up again. 

"Can you dance?" Morrigan's eyes widened and she must have looked horrified because he muttered under his breath; "That's a _no_..."

A small warning-growl came out of Conall behind her and Morrigan tried not to feel as if she were dying of embarrassment. Cole ignored it.

"Can you sew?" 

"Some." Morrigan shrugged - she had always enjoyed making her own clothing when her little town was shuttered off from the rest of the world during long winters, where the only material they had access to were hides, fur and anything else that was warm. 

"Can you cook?" 

" _That_ , I can do." Morrigan smiled, and Cole's cold assessment mask fell into a smiling young boy's face - he had found her useful after all! 

"Great! Come this way." He began leading her towards the East wing of the house, passing the open doors of the throne room, Morrigan blushed as she saw the horned chair and refocused her attention on following the beta through the halls. 

When they arrived at the kitchen Morrigan couldn't help but gawk; it was operating like it's own little factory. At the front there was a grinding stone with a continual grain feeder that was making a satisfying crunching noise in the background, then to her left there were rows of steel tables, occupied now by people kneading dough, chopping vegetables and using a dizzying amount of appliances. Walking farther in Morrigan could see half a dozen doors lining the walls to her right, Cole was saying something about two fridges, three deep freezers and one meat closet. She tried to focus on that the man was saying, but could not stop thinking about how Takoda would have swooned if he were here! 

Across from the fridges there were burners, cooktops, deep fryers and ovens, all filled with food and manned with other pack members, leading the entire way along the wall until the back of the kitchen which had floor to ceiling folding doors that were thrown wide open, the brisk November air battled the heat emanating from all the equipment. Morrigan knew her parents would be concerned with sanitary conditions, but she thought it probably was not much of an issue to the Pack. Especially when she saw the setup outside! 

Three large pits were dug into the ground with large wooden stakes tipiing over top of where the fire would be, for hanging and smoking food in what Morrigan assumed would be mass quantities. Behind that there were four tall skinning-racks set up in a square, two were occupied by a pair of whitetail deer, waiting to be field dressed. 

"You squeamish, Luna?" 

"Huh?" Morrigan inelegantly shook herself out of the awe of the setup around them and looked at Cole, who was holding a large knife with the handle tilted towards her. 

"You could do the honours. There's also a competition in a couple days - if you were interested." Morrigan could hear the tone Cole was using to egg her on. She knew he was being playful and trying to test boundaries with her, see where she was sensitive or not. 

"Well then I better save my technique for the contest." She smirked, it got a laugh out of him and he placed the knife back on the bench beside the racking. 

"Alright then, let's get you setup inside, see where you can start." 

Morrigan dove in head first - there was bannock that needed wrapping, a mutton stew simmering and a Cipelahq specialty being passed around,  _saraiaka_ \- a fruit and corn juice, which Morrigan would learn was slightly alcoholic, as her and the other cooks reddened cheeks and loud laughter began to reveal. 

The sky outside was darkening, a faint purple tinge colouring the room as appliances were turned off, stoves cooled and food was packed into large baskets and containers for easier carrying. Morrigan propped a pail of Chinook olives on her hip - she had "selflessly" offered to carry this one, but the little acorns were one of her favourite foods, and she was beginning to feel guilty for how many she was sneaking out and popping into her mouth. She was stopped just outside by Cole, who suddenly looked as if he could see through her cheeks to the three olives she had stuffed in there. He took the pail from her (she was not proud of the little whine that came out of her chest at losing her access to the dainties) and told her that she had to go up to the apartment to get ready.

"Get ready?" Morrigan was confused but quickly moved when Cole made a startling 'tsk'ing noise and flapped his arms at her. 

The mansion was in complete contrast to earlier in the day, where bustling bodies had been moving through the atrium like a beehive, now there was not a soul to be seen. She opened the door to her quarters quietly closing it behind her - the fermented juice was making her feel like a teenager who had snuck out to get drunk and was trying to escape notice from her parents. Conall obviously heard her and came out of his office upon her arrival. 

"What'd you get up to?" he approached her and Morrigan couldn't help the loopy smile that spread over her face, she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Conall's neck when he got close enough. He was wearing the slacks and button-up shirt he had put on this morning, sleeves still rolled up his forearms and two buttons still hanging open. 

"I put my blood, sweat and tears into so much food today - you better be hungry because there is  _a lot_ of it!" Conall gave a mock impressed look but laughed when she poked him in the chest indignantly. 

"Well I know I _am_ hungry for something..." he trailed off, giving her a scorching look. Morrigan's tongue darted out to wet her lips, she was suddenly starved for the meal he was talking about.

He was leaning in and Morrigan's heart almost stopped beating when he stopped a few inches from her lips and sniffed.

"Did they give you  _saraiaka_?" he asked before laughing at the guilty look that must have passed over Morrigans face. She laughed too before pushing him away, tumbling out of his arms and to the bedroom as a means of escape. He caught up to her quickly enough, she had stopped at the entrance to the closet - her posture was suddenly tense; 

"I don't have anything for a pow-wow, I did not even think to bring gifts or clothes or anything!" Conall looked every bit as pleased as she was distressed. 

"I took care of that," he smiled, leaning against the wall and pointing his chin to a box on the vanity behind them. Morrigan smiled, she wasn't sure how traditional this was supposed to be - but if Conall had anything to do with it she expected it was going to be somewhat relaxed. 

She walked over to the box and opened it, Conall was watching intently in the mirror - these were heirlooms from his Kainai days - passed down from chief to chief. The moment he had seen Morrigan, he knew he would be wearing them with her and no one else. 

She gasped and Conall braced for the reaction, with her hand over her mouth he couldn't tell if she was smiling or frowning. But when he looked into Morrigans eyes, he saw it all. She was in love with tradition, he had known that since he took her to her first pow-wow at 4 years old, she had bowed to the princess of the day like she was the reigning princess herself. 

She pulled the headdress out gingerly, as if she was unwrapping crystal. It was a traditional warbonnet, in the sense of the arching feathers falling down the back, Conall had added to it carefully, attaching two small bison horns and a wrap for the forehead to offset the weight of the feathers in the back - it was deep red died hide throughout with white bone beads sewn in crossing lines along the wrap. Many of the feathers had to be replaced after generations-long use, but Conall, and his chiefs before him, always ensured at least one from the previous group remained, all the way to the original feather, the one that hung loose down the back of the bonnet, secured by soft red silk allowing it to flutter as the wearer walked. 

"This can't be..." Morrigan trailed off, turning and looking at Conall with awe. 

"Well," he reached past her and pulled out the accompanying warrior roach, "I have to say it will look a whole lot better on you than mine will look on me." 

"They are beautiful," her voice was still filled with the reverence Conall was falling in love with. "...but please tell me I'm not part of the Grand Entry." 

Conall laughed, a hand clutching his gut, of course she would be more worried about walking in the procession in front of the guests rather than if she would look silly in a headdress or not. 

"Yes, I'm sorry to say you are." Morrigan's face crumpled for a second, before Conall placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted her face to look at him, "I'll be right beside you, there's no need to worry." 

He was not sure his reasoning was going to work with her, but Morrigan took a deep breath and nodded, placing the bonnet down gently before spinning and walking into the bathroom. 

"How long do I have?" 

 

* * *

 

Ten minutes later Morrigan had ransacked the closet for a simple, white strapless dress and found a red and black shawl to cover her shoulders and arms - it was traditional to wear something that covered the entire arm, but Morrigan could hardly stand anything touching the mark on her shoulder, and the shawl was just light enough - which she secured with a thick belt around her waist. She had found a pair of cowboy boots - that she had to admit fit  _so comfortably_ \- and didn't bother with anything else, except for a small touch of lipstick (she reasoned to cover up any stain from the Cipelahq fermented drink might have left behind). 

It must have been that juice in her system that was making her heart beat so rapidly, she was not sure if it was her blood pumping in her ears or if she could hear the warming up of the drums in the distance. Conall was waiting on the edge of the bed when she exited, sporting a floor-length colourful mantle. He stood when she approached and Morrigan could hear the faint sound of the sewn on tin bells clinking together.

Conall was holding her warbonnet, so Morrigan went over to the box and picked up his warrior roach, running her hand softly against the yellow and black porcupine hair. When she looked back up he was staring down at her, the look in his eyes hit Morrigan as if it were a physical blow - her stomach felt like it was made of stone and falling out of her body. 

They didn't say anything, Conall eventually bent down so Morrigan could reach up with shaking hands and place the roach on the top of his head, it sat perfectly, and she couldn't help running her hands through his hair - she wondered if he would let her take a picture of him. She smiled when he motioned for her to do the same and tilted her head down allowing Conall to place the headdress on her. She felt the weight of it like a responsibility, wearing an item so traditional awoke something inside Morrigan, her heart slowed and it was as if it had opened itself up to the headdress, like it was a new extension of her body and it was beating to keep it alive just like the rest of her. Conall brushed some of the feathers back, leaving the red silk one hanging down her shoulder beside the eagle feather in her hair. Both of his hands were on her shoulders now, and Morrigan couldn't help but notice how her mark stopped tingling when he touched it - the sun had set and the room was dark, but there was a full harvest moon flirting with the treetops. Light and silence spilled between them. 

Conall leaned down as Morrigan rose onto the tips of her toes - meeting in the middle for an unhurried, lingering kiss. 

Too soon it was time to go. He sighed, joined their hands and began to walk towards the door. 

"You know, back in the day, doing _that,_ " he jutted his chin back to where they had been standing, "Would mean we'd be married right now." Conall chuckled quietly, as if they were still in that moment, together.

Morrigan just bit her lip and smiled.


	17. G’miigwech - We Give Thanks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All, Hope you're well. 600 hits! I know that's not a lot but I'm excited!!!  
> I'd love to hear your comments on how you think the story is going so far!  
> Okay and if you'd like some indigenous music to listen to during the Pack-Wow just go to Google Play Music and enter A Tribe Called Red Radio (you might get some fun electronic style indigenous music in there though - hey! You might discover something new you like!) Or look up Northern Cree - I Don't Know Why
> 
> Again, non-beta'd, all mistakes are my own, and another thing I read recently;  
> "Kudo's and Comments are worth 60 portions!"

Conall hooked Morrigan's hand into the crook of his arm as he closed the apartment door behind her and led their way through the halls. Going down the stairs he could pick up the jingle-dresses and stomping of feet as dancers practised and milled around outside the East wing waiting for the procession to start. 

It didn't miss his notice how Makade relaxed, almost to the point of sleeping, at the contact he was able to have with Morrigan. The casual touch, the intimacy was something both pieces of his soul had been missing, and now found in her. Less than a fortnight and they were normalizing their world to fit her in. Makade was sleeping now, but they were coming alive around her.

Cole was waiting for them, now dressed in fringed clothing with a bright sash tied around his waist and his hair braided down his back. Giving a hasty bow and head-tilt - it was custom to show the throat to the Alpha Omega as a sign of deference - he then began flapping his arms and hissing at them which way to go, where to stand, barking at people to get out of the way. Conall grimaced at the young man's approach, Cole would really have to learn some diplomacy if (and that was still a big _"if"_ to the Cipelahq), he were going to inherit his father's pack.

Morrigan was looking up and down the procession with open curiosity. He loved reading her expressions; when she saw Delta carrying the eagle-stick her eyebrows rose then creased together in confusion. The eagle-stick and flag bearing position in the Grand Entry were usually given to elders or veterans, and although Delta had served more military terms than most of the veterans she had ever met, Conall had to remind himself all Morrigan could see was his friend, probably looking like he was in his late-twenties, in a position of honour she had only ever seen wrinkled, venerable men in.

She turned to look the other way, quickly introducing herself to last year's Princess - Abedabun, the wife of one of the Tsistsistas Dog Soldiers, Kit-Fox. The Princesses behind them were all women Morrigan had only met briefly - they were all human mates. The Pack had decided long ago not to let beasts join the contest for tribe royalty - not only to protect the delicate social hierarchy their animal sides needed, but the competitive nature of the games were often too dangerous a combination for what was supposed to be a respectful and traditional celebration. The winner's mates usually came away with bragging rights in the end. Conall wondered if Morrigan would join...

He reached out to grab her hand but saw now she was not beside him, but already halfway down the line of royalty, gently touching her forehead in greeting to the other women, making sure their skin never touched but still ensuring she met them with respect. He smiled - Morrigan's commitment to tradition sparked something inside him he had not known was missing.

Conall was the first to admit he not the most traditional of leaders - he hardly celebrated 'national' holidays let alone the subtle nuances of his heritage, and focused more on the tactical advantage of the Pack rather than the spiritual need many of them had. He was thankful for Mai-Coh in these situations. The beta of the Hotomkam's separated "church and state", so to speak, and Conall had never felt more effective - his position was already a political one; the Alpha of Alpha's? How could he distribute his leadership in an equal fashion if he took part in one tribe's tradition and not the others? Thankfully gatherings like this were to everyone's satisfaction - lowering the chances of offence. 

These were the issues the Hopi Shaman ensured were taken care of and never reached Conall's notice. Mai-Coh had the common roles that are shared by every Shaman. A Shaman was a healer, communicator, educator, prophet and mystic. Every pack from every corner of the earth had someone that took over this role, it had different names; Medicine Man, Priest, Witch Doctor, the list went on and on, but the job description never changed, their main duty was the spiritual healing and education of the tribe. Mai-Coh's day consisted of handling interpersonal conflicts throughout the Pack, mediating and meting discipline for members who disobeyed or created mischief purposefully, imparting her wisdom and teaching myths and legends, oftentimes forcibly on unwilling young or rebellious new pack members, and provided as much presence as she could in the healing of beasts and humans alike, whether it was physical, mental or emotional healing Mai-Coh was there, elbow-deep trying to keep everyone as healthy as possible. When you could not see the Shaman, she would be in her private rooms - it was rumoured she would leave her body in that room and travel among the spirits, coming back with prophesies and answers to questions people had not even asked yet. 

Many people were not aware of Mai-Coh's beginnings, Conall knew she had been a triage nurse in one of her many past lives, and had let slip a few details that made him think she came from the Old Oraibi, one of the four original Hopi villages, but only two people knew what life she had been wearing when Mai-Coh met Kachina - and that would forever stay between them. Conall knew that the only thing Mai-Coh carried through each and every life she lived in this world had been the tattoos on her skin, specifically the one that filled her back; it was deep black and raised from the rest of her skin - as if it had been redone hundreds of times. It crawled it's way, winding like a maze, encompassing the entire span of her shoulders, down along her ribs and stopped just before her lumbar vertebrae - the lines of the maze turning into the raised arms and long strands of hair of a silhouetted woman. This was Mai-Coh's 'shaman signature', each Shaman created a symbol of power for themselves after enduring an Okipa. The Okipa was a sacred Sun ceremony of Plains People during which the reigning Shaman would prepare his prospective apprentices for the initiation to their shaman training, which involved elements of fasting, torture and a vision quest or a plea-prayer to the spirits. Mai-Coh had never had an apprentice, but she still prepared for the ceremony every year at the end of the summer harvest. They had not seen any interest among the Pack, Conall mused, it looked as if Mai-Coh would be unaccompanied in the Okipa again this year.

Morrigan returned, smiling and adjusting her headpiece. Conall realized he was starting to be able to sense how far she was from him, it was like an incessant jerk coming from underneath his ribs, when she approached the tugging eased until it had almost disappered. 

"So?" he asked, not really knowing what question he was asking her, he just wanted to hear her voice.

"They're all human too." Conall was surprised she noticed - other than the brief meeting they had in the atrium that first day Morrigan had not been in any other contact with the human mates. 

"How did you know that?" Cole came rushing up and handed Delta a large flag with the medicine wheel emblazoned across it before urging the procession to begin their walk through the darkening woods with a hushed ' _aagawe, aagawe, aagawe!'_  

Morrigan wrapped her hands around Conall's elbow as she picked her way carefully along the path they walked behind Delta - the beasts could all see perfectly in the dark, but he supposed there wasn't enough light for the humans to go alone. He realized she was exaggerating her steps, making it easy for the royalty behind her to follow. His little leader. 

"The others make a funny face when I'm around them. Like I smell or something." She indicated with a jut of her chin behind her to the carefully stepping princesses, "They did not." 

Conall laughed - but his mind was racing, Makade spoke up; 

_It's because we have not mated her yet. They are smelling her scent and ours warring over her. I can sense their confusion around her, I don't like it._

"What if one of them lashes out?" the man thought back, the noise that ripped through Makade stuck painfully in the back of Conall's throat, he had to turn his head away from her so she wouldn't see the silent snarl on his face. 

"I'll make it right." Conall tried placating his beast, but when Morrigan turned to look at him he realized he had spoken out loud. 

"I don't mind - I am used to people assuming I'm - a little off." Conall didn't have a chance to respond before they had reached the ceremony site. 

The site was surrounded by torches and people, all facing inwards towards the stomped down dancing arena, a respectful distance away from the edges and drum-circle. A shout went up and the drum-circle began a steady beat, the princesses and dancers behind them began bouncing on their feet in time, their clothing jingling and amping up the crowd gathered. Delta led them into the circle, and excited screams started going up, Morrigan was closest to the edge and he could see her struggle not to let the attention get to her. There was cheering and howling and clapping and a few pack-mates even chanted "Luna, Luna, Luna" when Morrigan passed them. Conall was kicking himself for not preparing her better for this, but she remained straight-backed and unaffected for the circuit.

Mai-Coh and Cole stood at the far end, Conall led Morrigan to join them and they stood waiting for the royalty and dancers to finish their entry - it was an impressive fanfare. 

A massive bonfire roared at the centre of the circle and washed the entire field in bright, warm light, several others blazed behind the growing crowd, surrounded by longtables set up for the pack-wow meal and visiting. Conall could smell spits of meat roasting, vegetables simmering on flat rocks beside the embers, cooking slowly before the meal began. There were tents set up serving water, juices and soda - the pack-wow was a sober event, no drugs or alcohol were permitted during the events for the next week. A special sweat-lodge had been set up, this was an opportunity for pack members to recommit to their spirituality and Mai-Coh would be holding a naming ceremony for anyone who discovered their spirit guide this week. The contest grounds were set up farther back in the clearing, where the Princess Competition would take place. 

Morrigan was like a statue at Conall's side, he knew she was most likely itching with curiosity but fighting the desire to look around. Was she trying to impress him? Was she nervous? He did not have the opportunity to ask, finally the last dancers finished their circuit - the youngest of the pack, half-a-dozen human boys ranging from 10-15 years of age. Cole stood forward once the young men had taken their place in the crowd and read through the rules and regulations of the opening ceremony.

Mai-Coh and Conall stepped forward after Cole had finished, the feeling Morrigan's eyes on him had Makade basking in her gaze, it made Conall stand a little taller as he stepped to the middle of the arena. 

 

_"Noongwo g’miigwechweyaanaa GizheManido minik miinigwezwii’anan miinwaa maanagooing."_ Mai-Coh spoke, her deep voice flowed beautifully over the Ojibwa words as Conall 'translated'. In fact this was a prayer they did together at every ceremony, he was confident enough that Mai-Coh was not changing the original words and making him look like a fool.

"Today we give thanks for our many blessings." 

 _"Gaa miigwechweaa'naa kina gego gwenaajong g'gaa miinigoing."_ The Shaman spun with her arms outstretched, indicating the entirety of the field they occupied.

"We give thanks for the beauty of our surroundings." He couldn't help looking at Morrigan, how beautiful she looked lit by torchlight and watching him with her piercing dark eyes.

 _"G’miigwechtoonaa maanda maampii aki g'bagidnamaagoing wii iyaaying."_ Mai-Coh raised her hands above her head before bending and stroking the dirt floor of the arena lovingly.

"We give thanks for the sky above and the earth below."

 _"Kchi miigwetchwinim maanda bimaadziwin gaa miizhiyang akina okwiinowag."_ they both placed their hands over their hearts, and the rest of the Pack and guests copied them.

"We give thanks to the Pack before us for the life they have given." a few howls and mournful cries went up - the Pack then stayed quiet for long seconds afterwards, their own personal moment of silence. 

 _"Gaa miigwetchwigo noongwa maamwe gii bi kooganiiyaang ge niinwe nikaayeg miinwa miseyeg."_  

"We thank you all today, together those who were raised here with us, brothers and sisters." Makade knew there were Pack not in attendance, either on patrol or out on team assignments - they both hoped they knew they were missed. 

_"Gaa miigwetchweaananing genwa kwiijkenanig gaa bi wiijsemigoo'ing."_

"We give thanks for our friends who have journeyed along life's path with us." Mai-Coh didn't enjoy saying this part, Conall had insisted they add it, especially since many of the people they worked with, the scientists, their government liaisons and more, were all human and definitively not indigenous. If she insisted on him participating in spiritual practices, he insisted she participate in diplomatic ones. 

Before she gave the closing of the prayer, Conall held up a hand and she nodded, letting him have the floor. He had practised this part today in his office, making sure it was perfect - he didn't know how much oji-cree Morrigan knew, but couldn't resist adding in something just for her.

 _"Niin'miigwechewaa'naa niin'bagidnamaagoing ind-giizo miinwaa dibikigiizo wii_ _zaagitoon_." He didn't translate, and it didn't look like he needed to - Alpha pack and the few others that understood whooped loudly and cheered, jumping and pushing off each other in excitement around Morrigan making her laugh and cover her face in her hands. 

 _Gaa miigwetchwigo maanda zaagidwin odenang eyaamaan._ Mai-Coh ended, and that hardly needed translation as it was the closing of every prayer, meeting and salutation; 'We give thanks for the love in our hearts'

The tribe whooped and Cole rushed forward and started trying to speak over the crowd, inviting the first dancers out and flapping his arms uselessly. Conall ignored the sudden noise and jostling as he made his way back to Morrigan. She still had her hands on her cheeks and was looking at him with embarrassment and adoration. 

" _I give thanks for the coming of my treasure_?!" She repeated his last words with disbelief and awe, and when he got close enough she reached out and pounded her hand against his chest. Conall laughed at her astonished face and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her small form against him. 

"Don't forget  _my sun and moon_ , that was in there too..." another small fist came up and hit his collarbone as she made choking noises trying to articulate her mortification. This time he threw his head back and laughed - it was something he didn't think he had done in a long time and he was thankful for the raucous voices and pounding drum drowning him out.

When he looked down again Morrigan was smiling up at him - wide eyes reflecting the moon behind him, her skin glowing in the light of the bonfires - if she were any more bright she would turn into a flame herself, Conall thought.

"Can I kiss you?"

"You have never asked before..." the sly way she said it, with a small smirk, made Conall think she didn't particularly mind that detail.

Conall knew he should have - been asking, every chance he got, he wanted to make sure she was comfortable, always.

"There are so many things-" he started, but a dance began and Morrigan's attention pulled to the arena. He knew she would be lost to him once the ceremony pulled her attention so he turned resigned to pick up the conversation later.

Suddenly her hands were on his shoulders twisting Conall's face down towards her.

Standing so close to the drummer's circle was like your body being forceably recharged. The pounding of the drum vibrated through the ground and up through the soles of your feet, Conall could feel it reverberating along his bones giving his heart something to pound alongside. The drum circle's voices were even more battering, the haunting voices gave a heady deliriousness, so loud it felt as if he were in a pressurized tank with only their chanting filling the space around him. 

But all the sensation, all that noise, dropped away when Morrigan's mouth met his.

There had never been a manual on how being imprinted on someone worked. He wondered if he might write one...  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oraibi - Old Oraibi is one of four original Hopi villages, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages within the territory of the United States. In the 1540s the village was recorded as having 1,500–3,000 residents.
> 
> A rough idea of Mai-Coh's symbol; https://i.pinimg.com/originals/01/0a/4b/010a4bf05a50f16966c6be3069f0d104.jpg

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Please leave any feedback - comments, etc. :)


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